The Epic Tale of Olive Oil

By Lisa Turner

In 1500 BC, along the rocky countryside of ancient Greece, there grew a sturdy tree that bore rich and fragrant fruit. Herculean in its resistance, legendary in its ability to survive, the olive tree withstood drought, cruel heat, rocky soil and climactic whims with a sturdiness that rendered it eternal. Its origins are as legendary and immortal as its resistance: mythology says the goddess Athena, in a fierce competition with the god Poseidon to be the patron deity of the then-unnamed Athens, presented to the city the first olive tree. The city’s king, Cecrops, accepted the olive tree, which would later bring Athens wood, oil, food and prominence in the Mediterranean basin.

Surrounded as it was with such power and legend, the olive tree became a virtual mascot of Hellenic society. Cloaked as it was in the sacred and eternal, to cut one down was a crime punishable by death. As trees propagated and covered the fertile crescent of the Mediterranean, the same myth and sacredness were bestowed on the oil from the olive fruit. After it was discovered that pressing the fruit from the tree yielded a rich, fragrant oil, the Greeks had a viable method of preserving the flavor and aroma of the delicate fruit in liquid form, and olive oil quickly became equally legendary in its uses and appeal. It was infused with aromatic grasses and herbs, scented with precious fragrances, rubbed on the body to confer strength, youth and healing, and treasured as a currency for trade.

Not to be outdone by the Greeks, Roman rulers soon ordered the cultivation of olive trees, and Italy enjoyed a robust olive oil trade by the first century A.D. Not surprisingly, it was in Italy that the true culinary promise of olive oil was realized. Early Romans are credited with first using the oil as a condiment, drizzling it over roasted game, lentils cooked with leeks and coriander, tuna cooked with shallots and mint, or a mixture of herbs, arugula, fresh salted cheese and peppered vinegar. Early Romans also realized the health benefits of olive oil, and it is said they used it to counteract poisons, heal wounds, and treat stomach and digestive problems.

Many years later—that is to say, now—modern researchers validated some of these early uses, along with a heroic list of others: olive oil is famed for protecting the heart, reducing the risk of cancer, lessening symptoms of arthritis and controlling blood sugar. Most recently, one study showed that olive oil helps treat bacterial infections that cause gastritis and ulcers—proof that there often exists some truth in mythology.

With these modern health realizations, the legend of the olive continues.

Once its medicinal benefits became widespread knowledge, we common folk were drawn to more subtle aesthetic considerations, including flavor, aroma and color. These vary widely, depending on many factors, including the type of olive used and its maturity, the region in which its grown and the finesse with which it’s processed. Olives contain oil just after they’ve turned a light-green hue; the oil content increases as they ripen. Truly remarkable oils come from olives that have been grown under superlative conditions and harvested at just the right stage of ripeness and maturity. Early-harvest oils, when the olives are still green, have a peppery, astringent quality that aficionados describve as grassy, green, bitter or leafy. These oils are also higher in polyphenols and antioxidants, those healthy compounds we all seek. Later harvest oils, when the fruit is black and fully ripe, have a lighter, fruity, almost sweet flavor, and may be described as have notes of apple, melon, floral or peach.

Once harvested, olives are immediately transferred to a mill, where they’re washed and crushed into a paste, which is pressed to release the oils. The first pressing releases a superlative oil of low acidity; this is the “extra-virgin” variety. (The term “cold-pressed” is somewhat superfluous; since olive oils are made after the harvest, in the winter months when it’s relatively cold, the olive paste is routinely warmed to room temperature before pressing. Heating the paste would yield a bit more oil, but producers realize this tiny gain isn’t worth the sacrifice in flavor.)

Based on these factors, olive oils may have hundreds of subtle nuances in flavor—almond, grassy, herbal, woody, floral and many more. Two qualities that are undesirable in other foods—bitterness and pungency (the feeling of a peppery bite at the back of the throat)—are prized in olive oil, and appear in most quality oils in varying levels of intensity.

You may also choose an oil based on its intended use. Rich, full-bodied oils with a deep-green hue and robust flavor are best for strong-flavored or spicy foods, game and red meat, stews and pasta dishes. Smoother, more moderate oils with a fruity or buttery flavor are best as finishing oils on lighter soups, for dipping bread, with lighter pasta dishes, or for drizzling over chicken, seafood or vegetables. Lighter-colored oils with a milder, more flowery flavor, are best on dishes that will enhance their subtlety, like mild white fish or green salads. Unfiltered olive oils contain small bits of olive flesh, which adds additional flavor and is fun for dipping breads. But the particles settle to the bottom, forming an unhappy sediment that goes rancid quickly; if you try these oils, store them in the refrigerator, and use them within three months.

Olive trees and, hence, olive oil production, have long been concentrated around the Mediterranean basin. Now, however, in spite of its beginnings in antiquity, the olive tree—and olive oils—have spread through many climes, much like the welcome spread of western European culture, art, music and history. Especially in the last century, natives from other lands became so enamored of the mythical olive that its cuttings were spread across the globe. The happy result: olive oils hailing from locales as far-flung as Australia, which yields superlative olive oils in late summer and early fall, when oils from the Northern Hemisphere are fading in freshness; as logical as Argentina, where the olive tree spread after it was transported by Conquistadors to Mexico and Peru in the 1500s; and as improbable as Texas, where growing conditions are not unlike the Mediterranean (and, of course, we can always count on Texas for oil).