Vol. 17: Issue #17 • Olives

Green, black, purple? Ripe or unripe? In your martini or on your pizza? What’s your preference? There’s a lot to learn about olives and Tidbits is here to help!

• So are olives a fruit or a vegetable? The olive is definitely a fruit, specifically a drupe, or “stone fruit.” If you’re interested in having an olive tree, you can actually plant the pit and it will grow into a tree under the right conditions.

• An olive tree is an evergreen with an average lifespan of between 30 and 600 years, although there is evidence of trees that are more than 2,000 years old. The world’s oldest known olive tree is located on the island of Crete, estimated to be nearly 4,000 years old! More than 20,000 visitors to Crete every year make a special trip just to view this ancient living tree.

The world's oldest olive tree is over 2,000 years old, and still produces fruit on the Greek island of Crete.

• The height of an olive tree ranges from 26 feet to 49 feet. Olive growers must learn to be patient as the tree takes a considerable amount of time to develop. It will produce a white flower after four years, but growers won’t expect a harvest for the first 15 years. They flourish in hot weather and lots of sun, and their massive root system makes them drought-resistant.

• While there are about 865 million olive trees worldwide, the vast majority are found in the Mediterranean countries. Historical records indicate that the fruit was first cultivated 7,000 years ago, and they’ve been grown commercially in Crete since 3000 BC

OLIVES THROUGHOUT HISTORY

• The ancient Greeks and Romans slathered olive oil on their bodies and in their hair as part of their grooming and health rituals. Greek physician Hippocrates called olive oil “the great therapeutic.” Greek women created the first eye shadow by blending olive oil with charcoal dust. Kings were anointed with olive oil and champions of Olympic Games were crowned with coronets of olive branches and leaves. Olive oil was burned in the cauldron of the ancient Olympic Games’ “eternal flame,” a tradition that was revived at the 2004 Athens Games.

• In Old Testament biblical times the Israelites used olive oil in their sacrificial offerings as an ointment, and to anoint priests and royalty. The first mention of olive leaves in the Hebrew Bible is in Genesis 8:11, when a dove carried back an olive leaf to Noah aboard the ark as a sign that the floodwaters were receding.

• The olive branch is a symbol of peace, with opposing sides throughout history offering an olive branch as a sign of a truce. The branch also represents wisdom, fertility, purity, power, and victory. Seven nations, including Cyprus and the African country of Eritrea, feature olive branches on their flags, as well as four U.S. states, and the flag of the United Nations.

• Spanish missionaries introduced the tree to North America, and planted trees at the Mission San Diego de Alcala in 1769. While groves were cultivated at other California missions, by the mid-1800s, there were only two olive groves to be found.

Olive trees were first planted in North America at Mission San Diego de Alcala by Spanish missionaries in 1769.

• Spain leads the world today in cultivation of olives, with Italy in second place, and Greece in third. Spain’s Andalucian region produces about 75% of the world’s olives, and consequently, olive oil. Olives consist of about 20% oil, and 90% of the olives grown are used in oil’s production. One tree can produce 4.25 quarts of oil annually for centuries. The world consumes over 660,000 gallons every day. About 7.5 quarts of olives are required to produce one quart of oil.

OLIVE CHARACTERISTICS

• Olives come in all kinds of colors – green, purple, dark brown, black, and even pink! But the color of the fruit isn’t about the tree, it’s about the maturity of the olive at the time of harvest. In fact, green and black olives can grow on the same tree. Unripe olives are green, while ripe ones are dark purple to black.

Unripe olives are green, while ripe ones are dark purple to black.

• Olive harvesters wouldn’t dream of plucking fruit straight from the tree and eating it. Due to an organic compound known as glucoside oleuropein, raw olives are bitter and unpalat-able. They must be cured in brine, salt, or oil and fermented in a lye solution in order to remove the bitter taste. The longer the fermentation, the less bitter and the better the flavor.

OLIVES ARE HEALTHY!

• Olive oil is much healthier than vegetable oils, and is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It contains oleic acid, which can reduce blood pressure, and Vitamin E to support the immune and nervous systems and reduce inflammation.

• Olives also contain B and K vitamins, as well as Omega-6 and Omega-3. Oleic acid also helps skin stay soft and healthy, improving the appearance of wrinkles by as much as 20%. Olive oil is beneficial in preventing heart disease and lowering cholesterol, and is believed to protect against several cancers as well, including breast, prostate, and digestive tract cancers.

TYPES OF OILS

• Why is there such a variety of olive oils, and what’s the difference between them? A label might read “Pure Olive Oil,” “Refined Olive Oil,” “Virgin Olive Oil,” or “Extra Virgin Olive Oil,” among others. They will vary in thickness, color, and taste, all based on how the oil is extracted and processed.

You're invited to Desert Chapel Christian School OPEN HOUSE at 6PM, on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. Tour campus, meet school staff, and get answers to your questions.

• Olive oil is graded by the level of acid present in the oil. Regular oil contains about three to four percent of oleic acid, and extra virgin olive oil has less than one percent.

• Pure olive oil is a lighter pale yellow color and less expensive, and has been treated chemically or with heat during the refining process. It is sometimes treated with preservatives and other additives

• The pricier extra virgin oil has not been exposed to a chemical or heat process, with the oil being cold-pressed from the olives. The result is a higher quality, darker, more flavorful oil with a fresher, more delicate taste. Regular olive oil may be slightly bitter in taste, due to a higher oleic acid content.

Regular olive oil is a good choice for high heat cooking and frying.

• Regular and extra virgin olive oils have a different “smoke point,” that temperature when the heated oil starts to produce bluish smoke. Regular olive oil has a higher smoke point, and takes a little longer to burn, meaning it’s better for high heat cooking and frying. Extra virgin olive oil is the choice for salad dressing and low heat sautéing.

THE OLIVE TREE

• The wood of the olive tree is prized by woodworkers worldwide. It’s a very hard, dense, and durable wood, and contains interesting vivid grain patterns. It is an excellent wood for carving, and its high density makes it extremely resistant to moisture. Because the tree is highly valued for its fruit, is relatively small in size and grows slowly, olive wood is not abundantly available, making its products expensive. It’s used in fine furniture, carved bowls, cutting boards, and other decorative items. 

A beautiful depiction of Jesus Christ washing one of his disciple's feet; hand carved from olive wood (at a tourist shop in the Holy Land).