About Olive Oil

Olive Oil Health Benefits • Olive Oil Production • Olive Oil History • Olive Oil Agriculture

Olive Oil Health Benefits

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is our healthiest dietary fat.  It is the heart of the Mediterranean Diet and has sustained some of the world's healthiest people for thousands of years. Olive oil's health benefits come from two different factors: the make up of its fatty acids, and a healthy dose of antioxidants. Years of medical research and on-going studies back up the long list of health benefits from consuming a diet that is rich in extra virgin olive oil.

The point, about anti-oxidants and extra virgin olive oil is important. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has the highest levels of heart-healthy antioxidants. Other grades of olive oil (virgin, plain olive oil, or "pure", and olive pomace oil) have a similar fatty acid profile (the amounts of saturated and monounsaturated fats), but much lower antioxidant levels. Lucky for us that extra virgin is the best tasting as well!

Olive Oil Production

There are four grades of olive oil available to consumers: extra virgin, virgin, olive oil, and olive-pomace oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil production is simple, but not so easy. The most difficult step is growing and harvesting a good crop of olives (see agriculture below). Once harvested, speed is of the essence. The olives are washed with water, crushed, and pressed. No heat or chemicals allowed. If everything has gone well the taste testing and laboratory analysis will certify the batch as Extra Virgin!

The professional tasting panel does not rate the deliciousness of the olive oil. That is for you to decide. The expert panel does certify that the oil is free from specific taste defects (such as musty, rancid, and many others). Color is not a factor of quality. It is a myth that greener oil is better. In fact, in competitions, judges taste olive oil from cobalt blue glasses to hide the color.

If a batch of oil fails testing by a small enough margin it is classified as virgin grade. Virgin olive oil has some flavor defects and laboratory testing shows that the oil has started to breakdown. This means that you may detect some off flavors, shelf life may be shortened compared to extra virgin olive oil and antioxidant levels are generally less than extra virgin oils. Virgin oil should be sold as such; though there are widespread reports of mislabeling in the industry especially among companies that blend vast quantities of oil in huge factories far from family run olive groves.

If the batch fails testing by too large a margin it is initially considered unfit for human consumption without refining. Refining the oil in a factory removes the unpleasant aromas and flavors, but unfortunately any good flavor and much of the healthy antioxidants are removed as well. Refined oil is blended with virgin oil to restore some color and flavor and some vitamin E (one of the lost antioxidants) is added as well to make olive oil. Sometimes olive oil is labeled pure olive oil. There is no difference between them. Light olive oil is not an official category. It is a refined olive oil that is light on flavor with just as many calories as any other fat.

Olive-pomace oil is produced from the spent solid matter left over from crushing and pressing. Chemicals and high heat are needed to extract the remaining oil from the once pressed olives. After the chemicals are removed some virgin oil is mixed in to restore some flavor and color, but vitamin is not added to olive-pomace oil.

Olive Oil History

The people of the Mediterranean basin share an 8000 year-old common history that is bound by a single delectable fruit, the olive, and its treasured juice, olive oil. The exact origin of Olea europaea (common name olive) is not known. Twenty million year old fossilized remains of an ancient relative of the olive were found in Italy and carbon dating of an olive seed from Spain indicated that it was 8000 years old, although historical evidence indicates that cultivation probably began in 5000 BCE.

The olive was probably first cultivated in southern Asia Minor (Turkey), Crete, and Syria. In 1600 BCE the Phoenicians spread the olive throughout the Greek Isles and from 1400-1200 BCE to the Greek mainland. At this time in history the olive was most heavily cultivated in Greece. As the Greek colonies expanded olives were introduced to Italy, northern Africa, and then to the Mediterranean coastal area of France by 600 BCE. During the rule of the Roman Empire, olives were planted throughout the Mediterranean basin where they remain today.

Olive oil was the economic basis of ancient civilizations, the olive tree, a symbol of abundance, peace and purity. Homer called olive oil “liquid gold”, and Hippocrates called it the “great healer”. It was commonly believed to bestow strength and may be the reason that ancient Greek athletes rubbed their bodies with it. Olive oil also was thought to confer youth so it was used in medicines and cosmetics and was often infused with flowers and herbs. Of course, olive oil and olives were major dietary constituents.

The discovery of the Americas expanded olive farming in the 1500’s to Mexico, Peru, California, Chile and Argentina. Most recently, South Africa, Australia, Japan and China have joined the worldwide olive growing community.

Olive Agriculture

The olive is an evergreen that grows 50 feet high and 30 feet wide in its natural state without pruning. The silver-green feather shaped leaves are replaced every 2-3 years as new leaves appear in the spring. The trees have a distinctive gnarled branching pattern and a trunk that hollows with age. They are almost indestructible with a life expectancy of 500 years. Olive trees thrive with a long hot growing season followed by winter chill that is sufficient for fruit set. (Each species of fruit tree requires a specific number of hours at cold temperatures during the winter in order for the flower buds to open in the spring.) However, late spring frost can damage the flowers and result in no fruit production.

The small, off white, fragrant flowers exist as two forms: a perfect flower with male and female parts and a staminate flower with male stamens only. Olive trees are mostly wind pollinated and most varieties are self-pollinating. The olive fruit is a drupe (drōōp), which is a fleshy fruit with a single hard stone that encloses a seed. Olives start out green and become black-purple when fully ripe. They contain an alkaloid that makes them intensely bitter and inedible without curing. However, a few varieties are said to be sweet enough to eat after sun drying, if fully ripe.

There are several thousand varieties of olives that vary in size, shape, oil content and flavor. They can be smaller than a marble or as large as a walnut; round, oval or long with a pointed end.

Olive trees need full sun and in dry climates irrigation will improve production. Pruning helps to shape the trees for easier harvest and also contributes to annual fruit bearing. In the wild olive trees bear fruit every other year.

Harvesting can occur from the time the fruit has reached its maximum size and is unripe through the point when the olive is fully ripe. The fruit is delicate and can bruise easily, especially when ripe, so gentle handling is required. Even today much of the harvesting throughout the world is accomplished by hand picking. Olives are either cured for eating or crushed for olive oil. No matter how they will be used, processing should begin as soon as possible. Olives that are left in harvesting bins start to breakdown and become moldy in less than a few days. The finest olive growers pride themselves on processing their olives within hours of picking.