Homer
called it "liquid gold." In ancient Greece, athletes
ritually rubbed it all over their body. Its mystical glow illuminated
history. Drops of it seeped into the bones of dead saints and martyrs
through holes in their tombs. 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. The olive tree, symbol of abundance, glory and
peace, gave its leafy branches to crown the victorious in friendly
games and bloody war, and the oil of its fruit has anointed the
noblest of heads throughout history. Olive crowns and olive branches,
emblems of benediction and purifiation, were ritually offered to
deities and powerful figures: some were even found in Tutankhamen's
tomb.
Cultivating the Sacred
Olive
culture has ancient roots. Fossilized remains of the olive tree's
ancestor were found near Livorno, in Italy, dating from twenty
million years ago, although actual cultivation probably did not occur
in that area until the fifth century B.C. Olives were first
cultivated in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean, in the region
known as the "fertile crescent," and moved westwards over
the millennia.
Beginning
in 5000 B.C. And until 1400 B.C., olive cultivation spread from Crete
to Syria, Palestine, and Israel; commercial networking and
application of new knowledge then brought it to Southern Turkey,
Cyprus, and Egypt. Until 1500 B.C., Greece—particularly Mycenae—was
the area most heavily cultivated. with the expansion of the Greek
colonies, olive culture reached Southern Italy and Northern Africa in
the eighth century B.C., then spread into Southern France. Olive
trees were planted in the entire Mediterranean basin under Roman
rule. According to the historian Pliny, Italy had "excellent
olive oil at reasonable prices" by the first century A.C, "the
best in the Mediterranean," he maintained.
In
the land of the Hebrews, King Solomon and King David placed great
importance on the cultivation of olive trees; King David even had
guards watching over the olive groves and warehouses, ensuring the
safety of the trees and their precious oil.
Olive
trees dominated the rocky Greek countryside and became pillars of
Hellenic society; they were so sacred that those who cut one down
were condemned to death or exile. In ancient Greece and Rome, olive
oil was the hottest commodity; advanced ships were built for the sole
purpose of transporting it from Greece to trading posts around the
Mediterranean.
The
belief that olive oil conferred strength and youth was widespread. In
ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, it was infused with flowers and with
grasses to produce both medicine and cosmetics; a list was excavated
in Mycenae enumerating the aromatics (fennel, sesame, celery,
watercress, mint, sage, rose, and juniper among others) added to
olive oil in the preparation of ointments.
Olive
trees have an almost titanic resistance, a vital force which renders
them nearly immortal. Despite harsh winters and burning summers,
despite truncations, they continue to grow, proud and strong reaching
towards the sky, bearing fruit that nourishes and heals inspires and
amazes. Temperate climactic conditions, characterized by warm dry
summers and rainy winters, favor plentiful harvests; stone, drought,
silence, and solitude are the ideal habitat for the majestic olive
tree. Italy and Spain are now the most prolific producers of olive
oil, although Greece is still very active. There are about thirty
varieties of olives growing in Italy today, and each yields a
particular oil with its own unique characteristics.
Olive Oil Properties
Sun,
stone, drought, silence and solitude: these are the five ingredients
that, according to Italian folk traditions, create the ideal habitat
for the olive tree.
We
treasure extra-virgin olive oil for its nutritional and salutary
virtues. La Cucina Italiana reports that extra-virgin olive oil is
the most digestible of the edible fats: it helps to assimilate
vitamins A, D and K; it contains so-called essential acids that
cannot be produced by our own bodies; it slows down the aging
process; and it helps bile, liver and intestinal functions. It is
also valued for its culinary virtues and organoleptic properties as
well: flavor (sapore),
bouquet (aroma),
and color (colore)
Climate,
soil, variety of tree (cultivar) and
time of harvest account for the different organoleptic properties of
different oils. Certain extra-virgin olive oils are blends of
varieties of olives; others are made from one cultivar.
The
European Community gives the following parameters:
- Extra-virgin olive oil with perfect taste is oil of the highest quality; it has a minimum organoleptic rating of 6.5 out of 10, low acidity (1% or less), and is untreated.
- Olive oil has a minimum organoleptic rating of 5.5, a maximum of 2% acidity and is untreated.
- The production of all other olive oils involves treatments.
Extra-virgin
olive oil is produced in all regions of Italy, except Piedmont and
Val D'Aosta. The leading producers are Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria, and
Apulia. Tuscany produces such a great assortment of extra virgin oils
that many do not resemble each other. In Umbria, it is so widely
produced that it would be hard to imagine the landscape without the
abundance of olive trees. Apulia is home to an impressive one-third
of Italy's olive trees.
The
price of extra-virgin olive oil varies greatly. Two factors are
influential: where the olives are grown and which harvesting methods
are implemented. Certain locations yield more bountiful harvests;
consequently their oil is sold for less. Olive trees planted near the
sea can produce up to 20 times more fruit than those planted inland,
in hilly areas like Tuscany. It is in these land-locked areas that
the olive trees' habitat is pushed to the extreme; if the conditions
were just a little more severe, the trees would not survive.
Extra-virgin oils produced from these trees have higher organoleptic
scores.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario