Olive Oil History
The olive tree is native to the Mediterranean basin; wild olives were collected by Neolithic peoples as early as the 8th millennium BC. The wild olive tree originated in Asia Minor in modern Turkey.
It is not clear when and where olive trees were first domesticated: in Asia Minor in the 6th millennium; along the Levantine coast stretching from the Sinai Peninsula to modern Turkey in the 4th millennium; or somewhere in the Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent in the 3rd millennium.
A widespread view exists that the first cultivation took place on the island of Crete. Archeological evidence suggest that olives were being grown in Crete as long ago as 2,500 B.C. The earliest surviving olive oil amphorae date to 3500 BC (Early Minoan times), though the production of olive is assumed to have started before 4000 BC. An alternative view retains that olives were turned into oil by 4500 BC by Canaanites in present-day Israel.
In ancient Greece, athletes ritually rubbed it all over their bodies. Olive
oil has been more than mere food to the peoples of the Mediterranean:
it has been medicinal, magical, an endless source of fascination and wonder
and the fountain of great wealth and power. Indeed the importance of the olive
industry in ancient economies cannot be overstated. The tree is extremely
hardy and its useful lifespan can be measured in centuries. Its wide and deep
root system ensures its survival without additional watering, even in the
water-sparse Mediterranean. It thrives close to the sea, where other plants
cannot tolerate the increased salt content of underground water. Other than
pruning in late spring, it needs minimal cultivation and its fruit matures
in the late autumn in the Northern Mediterranean) or through the winter (further
south), when other staple food harvests are over and there is no other agricultural
work to be done. Olive collecting and processing is relatively straightforward,
and needs minimal, mechanical technology. Olive oil, being almost pure
fat, is dense in calories yet healthy, without adverse health effects. Unlike
cereals which can be destroyed by humidity and pests in storage, olive oil
can be very easily stored and will not go rancid for at least a year (unless
needlessly exposed to light or extremely hot weather), by which time a fresh
harvest will be available. The combination of these factors helped ensure
that the olive industry has become the region's most dependable food and cash
crop since prehistoric times.
Besides food, olive oil has been used for religious rituals, medicines, as a fuel in oil lamps, soap-making, and skin care application.
Many ancient presses still exist in the Eastern Mediterranean region, and some dating to the Roman period are still in use today
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The origin of olive oil remains a mystery, but evidence of cultivated
olives dates back over 6,000 years. The ancient Greeks and Romans both
told tales of olives and their creation by the gods (and subsequent cultivation
by humans); Roman mythology ascribes the birth of olives to Hercules,
who struck the ground and caused an olive tree to sprout.
In Greece, olives were said to have been created by the goddess Athena, and were considered so esteemed that only "virgins and chaste men" could tend the groves. Olives were a rare and precious commodity to lovers of fine foods.
Among the first written records of olive oil were inventory logs carried by ancient trading ships, which brought olive oil along their many routes through the Mediterranean. Introduced to Greece as a luxurious import, olive oil was prized not only as a food, but also as a beauty treatment, and as a lightly scented fuel for lamps.
The Roman Empire spread civilization — and the cultivation of olive groves — throughout southern Europe. Indeed the importance of olive oil was so great that the Empire's southern regions were organized around oil provinces. When the Roman Empire collapsed, the cultivation of olive groves fell into disfavor, and for hundreds of years olives survived only in a few fortified regions high in the hills of Tuscany.
Around 1100 AD, olive groves began once again to flourish in Italy, and Tuscany became a renowned region of cultivation of the olive tree. Some of the strict laws issued during that time, regulating the cultivation of the olives and the commerce of oil, are still followed today. By 1400, Italy had become the greatest producer of olive oil in the world, offering an extraordinary oil that graced Renaissance tables across Europe. And while olive oil production slowed briefly during the late 1600s due to taxation issues, in the long run it continued to grow through the century as civilization spread around the globe.
In the 1700s, Franciscan missionaries brought the first olive trees to the new world. One hundred years later, olive oil made its commercial debut in the Americas as Italian and Greek immigrants began demanding its import from Europe. Initially an ethnic specialty, olive oil was soon embraced by mainstream American cooks.
In the late 20th century, American scientists published several nutritional
articles citing a marked correlation between the so-called "Mediterranean
Diet" and lower incidences of health problems. Based on fresh vegetables,
seasonal fruits, grains, fish, meats, and olive oil, the studies confirmed
that foods of the Mediterranean region aren't just delicious — they're
also a smart choice for good health.
Now, in the 21st
century, olive oil continues to grow in popularity, and plays a part in cuisines
of virtually every culture. There are over 800 million olive trees in the
world today with more being planted every day.