LATEST NEWS: Olive
Olea europaea
Olives
The olive has been a symbol of the Mediterranean since time immemorial. Its primary product, olive oil is the Rolls Royce of oils, and is revered throughout the world. And it's a toughie - there are claims of 1,600 year old trees still producing fruit.
As a tree the olive has shaped the Mediterranean landscape and culture. As a fruit and oil it has used been for food, fuel, anointing and even embalming.
Today there are thought to be around 1,000 million olive trees in the world, while 90% of all olives are produced in the Mediterranean. It is the region's most versatile and valuable crop.
The olive tree is also a widely used symbol, due to its reputation for long life, nourishment and its ability to thrive in tough conditions.
There are over 1,000 cultivars of olive (Olea europaea), which have much larger, fleshier fruits (or drupes) than their wild ancestor (Olea sylvestris), which grows throughout the Mediterranean. The birth of olive farming is shrouded in the mists of time; discoveries of wild olive stones at archaeological sites in Israel show at least 20,000 years of use; by 5,000 years ago olives had been taken into cultivation and spread throughout the Levant.
Olives are harvested in autumn. If they are to become table olives they are soaked in water for five days to extract their natural bitterness. They are then cured in brine for around four weeks. Olives can also be pressed for their oil with the left-over paste being used to feed livestock or as compost, while olive stones can be used for fuel.