Ancient Health Food: Olives and Olive Oil in History

Recently, many people have learned that olives and olive oil is a healthy, nutritional food; however this is something that the ancients had known and passed along for generations in the traditional area of cultivation – the Mediterranean.

Archaeology magazine features a story about olives in the past and present. The story is basically an interview (Olives and People, Past and Present) with world-renowned archaeologist, Anagnostis Agelarakis of Adelphi University whose work has been covered in articles like Fallen Heroes, a study of a public grave in Athens from the Peloponnesian War; Warriors of Paros, clues from soldier’s burials to the rise of Classical Greek city-states; and Artful Surgery, where Agelarakis finds evidence of a skilled surgeon who practiced centuries before Hippocrates. In the article of September 5^th, 2008, it is about Agelarakis and his wife’s olive orchard near Rethymno on Crete, where the main product is the production of first cold pressing of what is known as extra virgin olive oil. The olive trees grow on the ancient slopes of Mount Ida along the Mill River (Northern Mylopotamos) olive groves.

Ancient Olive Tree, Holy Land Imports photo

To the ancients, olives and olive oil was more than just a healthy food, it was a gift of the goddess Athena to the Athenians. It was also used as a base for perfumes, as well as body oil for athletes participating in the ancient Olympic Games. It was used not just in cooking, but with salad. The ancient Greeks invented salad dressing made with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, sea salt, and some honey, shaken well and then sprinkled over salads.

Surprisingly, except for the modern-day process of centrifuging, olives are grown and processed much in the same way they did in ancient Greece. While some orchards use machinery, most growers prefer not to pollute their orchards with diesel fumes and motor oil – sort of a pride in the industry. Oil pressed from the olive is called the olive tear. To make extra virgin oil, olives are pressed with a temperature less than 27-degrees centigrade. Extra virgin olive oil has more vitamins and phyto-antioxidants.

In the world of medicine, Hippocrates was the first known medical practitioner to use olive oil-based ointments for treating trauma, scratches, wounds, and concussions that were not too deep. Modern science has shown that Hippocrates was correct in his hypothesis that olive oil has healing powers for it contains antioxidants like scalene, flavonoids, and polyphenols. It also has Omega 9, Vitamin A, Vitamin E (antioxidant), Vitamin K and a bit of Vitamin C. Vitamin E is a property that promotes the healing process and keeps skin healthy. Amino acids can be found in olive oil that is good for the alimentary tract and other areas of the human body. Olive oil is the only oil from plants that can be eaten raw and untreated – thus it does not lose its nutritional and health properties. No wonder the ancient Greeks thought of it as a gift of the gods.

Olive trees grow in the Mediterranean region, tropical and central Asia and certain parts of Africa. They are drought resistant plants and its history dates far back into time, mentioned in ancient scripts and the books of the Bible (Old Testament). In Spain, olive seeds have been found to be 8,000 years old, using the carbon-dating process. Archaeological evidence suggests that olives were being cultivated in Crete as far back as 2500 BC (archaeological sites has provided evidence of olive oil cultivating as early as 6,000 BC) and from Crete it spread to Syria, to Greece and then ultimately Rome; however, fossilized remains of the olive tree’s ancestor has been found near Livorno, Italy that is dated about twenty million years. In the United States olive trees are grown in California, but may be found in other areas where the climate is suitable, like Arizona. Commercially, olives are grown in California, Australia and South Africa, as well as the traditional places like Greece, Italy, Turkey, and Spain. Olive oil was used to anoint kings of ancient times, especially the Greeks and Jews.

Homer called olive oil liquid gold. Judging from shipwrecks found in the Mediterranean Sea, olive oil was an important trade item. Clay vessels called amphoras (plural: amphrorae) were used in the transportation of olive oil and because of their conical shape they were placed on wire or wooden stands in the homes of the ancients. 

A list on an ancient scroll found in Mycenae described the aromatics used with olive oil: fennel, sesame, celery, watercress, mint, sage, rose, and juniper being the primary aromatics used. When I was in the Persian Gulf I visited an apothecary shop that sold perfumes and aromatics in jars and containers one would see in ancient apothecaries with olive oil as their base. Purchasing by quantity, I was able to bring many small vials of this ancient, quality perfume as gifts to family and friends.

The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, about 1,400 years ago, advised his followers to apply olive oil to their bodies, and used on his own head.

Olive oil has been used for special ceremonies, even in Christendom – during baptism, holy oil and at the Chrism mass, olive oil blessed by the bishop (chrism) is used in that ceremony.

In many ancient cultures, the dead were anointed with olive oil as a base and perfumes added to rub into the deceased person’s skin. Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, was anointed in the same way before being placed in the borrowed tomb after his death by crucifixion, described in the Gospel scriptures. Olive branches, crowns and emblems that depicted benediction and purification were used in rituals and ceremonies as far back as ancient Egypt, of which some were found in Tutankhamun’s (King Tut) tomb. Olive oil was also used at funerary feasts in ancient times.

In Hebrew history, King Solomon and King David knew the importance of cultivating olive trees. King David even had guards watching over the olive groves and warehouses to ensure the safety of the trees and the precious oil produced from their fruit.

It is not known when exactly olive tree orchards began to be grown in California, but most historians state that it was probably introduced in California in 1769 when seeds were brought from Mexico. Others believe the date is 1785.

Today, the olive tree branch is used as a sign of peace by the United Nations and as a symbol of peace in many nations, including the United States which depicts a flying dove carrying an olive branch in its beak. This symbol may come from the legend of Noah’s Ark, when Noah sent forth doves to seek land and one returned with an olive tree branch.

Italy is most famous for its export of olive oil by leading producers you are probably familiar with: Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria, and Apulia. Tuscany produces the most assortment of extra virgin oils, and all are unique. In Umbria, the landscape is covered with olive trees and one-third of Italy’s olive trees are in Apulia. Olive trees are grown everywhere in Italy except Piedmont and Val D’Aosta[i]. The price of extra-virgin olive oil varies, but is determined by where the olives are grown and what harvesting methods are used. Olive trees planted near the sea produce up to 20 times more fruit than those planted inland.

Olive trees require a long, hot growing season in order for it to produce and ripen quality olives. Any region with late spring frosts will kill it or the fruit will not be good or not grow at all. Home grown olives are grown successfully in the warm coastal valleys of California. Commercial olives are found in California’s Central Valley, and a small area outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Olive trees are sometimes grown as ornamental plants, as long as the temperature does not drop below 12° Fahrenheit. Green olives are damaged at about 28°, but ripe fruit can tolerate lower temperatures. Olive trees do not require much attention and fruit well with little maintenance. Olive trees have been grown in large containers and miniaturized much like the bonsai tree.

The olive tree is from the family of evergreen and can reach a height without pruning to 50 feet and spread to 30 feet. In orchards they are kept at a maximum height of 20 feet by regular pruning. The leaves are not replaced every fall like many other plants, but re-leaf every two or three years, falling in the spring when new leaf growth appears. Olive leaves are used in making a healthy tea.

The olive fruit is eaten green or ripened, the latter being a blackish-purple color. Some olives turn a coppery brown color, Shapes are different as well – in California they are grown to be more roundish and larger, while in other places in the world the traditional smaller fruit is grown that are oval or elongated with pointed ends. By thinning the crop the fruit grows larger. Olive trees begin bearing fruit at the age of about four years.

If you live in a climate where olive trees will grow, or grow them indoors like in a greenhouse, they require full sun and in a place where they will not be injured by wind. Irrigation is simple because an olive tree only requires watering once per month. Olive trees can be fertilized by adding nitrogen to the soil. In California, farmers apply fertilizers before the flowering period so the nitrogen can be absorbed before the fruit sets.

Pruning is an important aspect of growing olive trees, just as grape vines and other orchard plants. Olive trees can withstand even radical pruning, which allows the farmer to keep them at a desired height. Olive trees never bear fruit in the same place twice and usually bears fruit on the previous year’s growth; prune suckers and any branches growing below the point where branching is desired. Prune flowering branches in the early summer to prevent olives from forming.

Interestingly, none of the cultivated variety of olive trees can be propagated by seed. If you grow olive trees from seed they will be the original small-fruit wild variety that has grown for millenniums. Most trees are grown from cuttings, which are 12 to 14-inches long and 1-3 inches wide from a two-year-old mature tree and planted in a light rooting medium and kept moist. Trees from these cuttings can be grafted with wood from another cultivar. Cut trees bear fruit in about four years.

Olive trees are affected by some pests and diseases, but have fewer problems than fruit trees. The major pests are the medfly and the olive fruit fly (Dacus oleae). In California, verticillium wilt is a serious fungal disease and there is no effective treatment other than avoiding planting on infested soil and removing damaged trees and branches. There is also a bacterial disease called olive knot, which is spread by pruning with infected tools during rainy months. Olive trees are rarely sprayed with chemical treatment because: (1) it has few enemies, and (2) oil in olives will retain the odor of chemical treatments.

Commercially there are several dozen varieties of olives, but more than that over the centuries of cultivation. The five top varieties in California are Manzanillo, Sevillano, Mission, Ascolano, and Barouni.

Olive trees have throughout history been spreading as a wild plant. In some places these wild plants are considered invasive species. According to Wikipedia:

In some other parts of the world where it has been introduced, most notably South Australia, the olive has become a major woody weed that displaces native vegetation. In South Australia its seeds are spread by the introduced red fox and by many bird species including the European starling and the native emu into woodlands where they germinate and eventually form a dense canopy that prevents regeneration of native trees.^[19]

There is a vast amount of information available on olive trees and their cultivation on the Internet. The major links are provided below.

References and Further Reading:

Homer, Odyssey, Book 5, ca 800 BC
The Complete Book of Fruits and Vegetables by Bianchini Francesco and Francesco Corbetta
Olive – CRFG Organization
Planting Landscape Trees, #8046 – University of California
Planting Olive Trees by Paul Vossen [pdf]
Where Can I Grow Olive Trees? – Olive Oil Source
Growing Olives – Orchard Management
Olive Tree Growing Guide – White Flower Farm
The History of the Olive – Olive Oil Source
U.S. Olive Oil Companies – Olive Oil Source
International Growers – Olive Oil Source
Starting an Olive Oil Business – Olive Oil Source
Online Olive Oil Encyclopedia – Olive Oil Source
Private Labeling – Olive Oil Source
Olive Oil for Soap Making – Olive Oil Source
Complete Catalog – Olive Oil Source
Curing Olives – Olive Oil Source
Flavored Oils – Olive Oil Source
Tuscan Dishes – Olive Oil Source
Baking with Olive Oil – Olive Oil Source
Recipe Links
The Frantoio Story – Global Gourmet
Preserving Olive Oil – Global Gourmet
Olives: Care and Storage – Global Gourmet
American Olive History – Global Gourmet
Cookbook: Olive Oil From Tree to Table – Global Gourmet
Recipe: Fettunta – Global Gourmet
Recipe: Crostini Mezzaluna – Global Gourmet
Recipe: Olive Paste Polenta – Global Gourmet
Recipe: Rosemary-Infused Oil – Global Gourmet
Olive Tree History – Olive Tea, Herb of Choice
Olive and People, Past and Present – Archaeology magazine
Olive and People, Past and Present – Free Republic

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[i] Global Gourmet, Olive Oil History.