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OliveAn example of black olives.The olive tree has been cultivated since ancient times as a source of olive oil, fine wood, olive leaf and olives for consumption. The naturally bitter fruit is typically subjected to fermentation or cured with lye or brine to make it more palatable. 
Green olives and black olives are washed thoroughly in water to remove oleuropein, a bitter carbohydrate. Sometimes they are also soaked in a solution of food grade sodium hydroxide in order to accelerate the process.Green olives are allowed to ferment before being packed in a brine solution. American black ("California") olives are not fermented, which is why they taste milder than green olives. It is not known when olives were first cultivated for harvest. Among the earliest evidence for the domestication of olives comes from the Chalcolithic Period archaeological site of Teleilat Ghassul in what is today modern Jordan. The plant and its products are frequently referred to in the Bible, the Koran and by the earliest recorded poets. Farmers in ancient times believed olive trees would not grow well if planted more than a short distance from the sea; Theophrastus gives 300 stadia (55.6 km) as the limit. Modern experience does not always confirm this, and, though showing a preference for the coast, it has long been grown further inland in some areas with suitable climates, particularly in the southwestern Mediterranean where winters are milder. Olives are now cultivated in many regions of the world with Mediterranean climate, such as South Africa, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Mediterranean Basin, Israel, Palestinian Territories and California. Considerable research has been accumulated supporting the health benefits of consuming olives, olive leaf and olive oil. The olive tree provides leaves, fruit and oil. Olive leaves are used in medicinal teas. Extract from 'The International book of WOOD' curtesy Michael Beazley Publishers Limited 1979. |
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