The Passionate Olive (4 page)

Throughout Greece, competitions were held in close connection with the olive tree. The Olympic Games, held in honor of Zeus, are where Olympic athletes (massaged with olive oil) believed that wisdom, power, and strength would be bestowed upon them. It was also believed that if one polished a statue of Zeus with olive oil, he would be so honored that he would bring the statue owner a long and happy life.

In Egypt, the kingdom that worshiped its pharaohs in life as well as death, crowns of olive branches were ritually offered and placed in tombs. Olive oil, mixed with sesame and pistachio oils, was applied prior to the linen wrapping of a mummy. The ancient Egyptians, who also used olive oil for cosmetics and medicine, believed the olive tree to be a gift from the gods that would bestow beauty, power, and love to its users. They also believed that Isis, goddess of fertility and wife of Osiris, a supreme god of the Egyptians, was responsible for teaching man how to extract oil from olives.

However, always competitive, the Romans credit the olive tree and its oil to their goddess of wisdom, technical skill, and invention—Minerva—who, according to legend, gave the Romans the art of cultivating the olive tree. The legendary founders of Rome—the twins Romulus and Remus—were believed to have been born under an olive tree. Another legend attributes the wild olive tree to Hercules, who struck the ground with his mighty club, which then took root. Whatever the legends, the
civilized
Romans,
to this day, are credited with saying: “
Partes humani cultus necessariae vinum … atque oleum olivarum
”—“The necessary ingredients of civilization are wine and … olive oil.”

Moses, Christ, and Muhammad Have One Thing in Common

Olive oil occupies a central place in all of the religions associated with the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The oil has been used for lamps in temples and for anointing rituals since time immemorial. Olive oil was sacred to Moses, Christ, and Muhammad.

Olive oil is referenced more than 140 times in the Bible, and the olive tree, considered the king of all trees, is mentioned over one hundred times. In Genesis, an olive branch was returned to Noah on the ark by a dove, signaling the end of the great flood. Since then, the olive branch has been viewed as a symbol of life and peace. The greatest religious significance of olive oil is documented in the book of Exodus, where the Lord tells Moses how to make an anointing oil of spices and olive oil. The olive tree and olive oil permeate different ancient psalms and prayers, many of which are recited today, including Psalm 23:5, “…  you anoint my head with oil.”

For the Jewish people, having a plentiful supply of oil, along with wine, was a symbol of God’s favor. Oil was, and still is, a sign of God’s blessing because it represents all that is best in life and God’s generosity to the people he loves.

In the Christian churches, both Western (Roman Catholic and Protestant) and Eastern (Orthodox), olive oil is the symbol of God’s boundless generosity toward humankind and of his never-ending love. Christ (Christós) means the anointed one, that is, anointed with (olive) oil. When it is used to anoint people in church, it becomes one of the channels through which God’s power comes into the world and by which he blesses Christians with his Holy Spirit.

The olive and its oil hold a special position in the Greek Orthodox religion. As a symbol of love and peace, olive oil is an essential part of several solemn rites, including baptism. It is also used to light the oil lamps in churches and the small shrines in many Greek households. In fact, the Greek word for olive,
elaía
, is thought to be derived from the noun
eleos
, which has many meanings, including mercy and compassion. In the Eastern Church, as well as in the Western Church, a prayer that is continuously offered is “
Kyrie eleison
,” Greek for “Lord have mercy.” The verb
eleison
is related to
eleos
(mercy and compassion) and to
elaion
(olive oil). This relationship suggests that—at a deeper level of meaning—olive oil is a material manifestation of Christ’s blessing.

In Islam, the olive tree is a symbol of Muhammad’s presence, and, through the oil, divine light brings men closer to Allah. In the Koran (Qur’an) and in the Hadiths (sayings of the Prophet) there are many references to olive oil. Muhammad is said to have advised his followers to apply olive oil to their bodies and to “use olive oil as a food and ointment for it comes from a blessed tree” (Tirmidi). In one Hadith, the Prophet was said to have stated that olive oil has in it a cure for seventy diseases: “Eat the olive
oil and apply it (locally), since there is cure for seventy diseases in it, one of them is Leprosy” (Abu Naim).

Virgin or Refined … It’s All About Culture

The olive tree is an icon of beauty and resistance; in olive cultures one of the cruelest things you can say about someone is that he is the kind of person who would cut down an olive tree.

Looking at an olive tree with its silvery-green leaves, twisted trunk, and graceful branches, gives one a feeling of peace and serenity. The gnarled and knotty trunk looks as old as humanity, yet the leaves represent youthful gentleness as they gracefully sway. The olive tree is perhaps the most favored of trees by artists. Fascinated by their beauty, Matisse, Renoir, Cézanne, and Dali have all painted olive trees. The master of them all was van Gogh, whose olive tree paintings number nineteen.

Get Healthy, Stay Young, and Enjoy

Olive oil was first used
on
the body, not
in
it. For centuries, olive oil has been used to maintain the suppleness of skin, to heal abrasions, to soften the hair, to strengthen
nails, to cure the effects of alcohol, and to relieve aching muscles. It wasn’t until about 1,000
BC
that the exceptional culinary benefits of olive oil were discovered.

Recent research has brought olive oil back into the health annals, making it a primary focus among health-conscious people as they rediscover its culinary, beauty, and health benefits. In addition to lending a distinctive taste to Mediterranean cuisine, this versatile fruit and its oil have been found to reduce cholesterol—a truly healthful benefit! Olive oil can also help prevent cardiac diseases, ease the pain of arthritis, and soothe intestinal disorders.

In addition, ingesting (in food) or drinking (by the spoonful or glass) olive oil, with its potent supply of vitamins A, D, K, and E, is thought to slow down the aging process. Olive oil contains antioxidants, which are powerful aids that can help keep the cardiovascular system flowing and delay the aging of cells. Olive oil aids digestion and helps the body absorb calcium. It improves the appearance and texture of the skin … all from the inside.

Now for the outside of the body: Just as the gladiators believed that using olive oil for massage maintained the elasticity of muscles and the soldiers of Greece oiled their skin to keep warm, applying olive oil to the skin has been shown to improve its appearance and texture.

So enjoy your olive oil, however you use it. Having the knowledge of its history and culture, its spiritual significance and infinite virtues, and its health and beauty benefits, you can now play with this “liquid gold” and know that in addition to its epicurean enjoyment it offers 101 ways to improve your life, love, and health.

CHAPTER TWO
Virgin or Refined?

A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO
, when Kuleto’s Restaurant in San Francisco began putting tiny bottles of olive oil on their tables and the local culinary community took to dipping their bread rather than spreading, I formed a special club called E
VOOC
(Extra Virgin Olive Oil Club). Its membership consisted of my closest friends. Our very informal club centered on convivial conversation, great bread, and olive oil—naturally! When I worked and lived in London and traveled extensively throughout Europe, I introduced many of my colleagues to E
VOOC
and they became lovers of olive oil. E
VOOC
has changed little over the years—just several new members and a new name, the Passionate Olives Club.

Today, it seems as if olive oil is everywhere—from your local corner grocery to the gourmet kitchen shop to those huge discount and wholesale stores. There are literally shelves and shelves of olive oils. We find olive oil on tables
at restaurants, in soaps and creams at the beauty counter, and on monthly (or in my case, weekly) shopping lists. For those of you who might think that olive oil is just another type of oil, you have
much
to learn.

When you go to the store, do you wonder which kind to buy? What type do you use and when? How can you be certain in your selection of a given oil, and should you care if it is extra virgin or if it is simply olive oil that has been refined? You may have already asked yourself these questions, as Bruce Tindall and Mark Watson did in their book
How Does Olive Oil Lose Its Virginity?

Let’s Begin …

Stepping back into history, one finds that olive oil has been classified according to its quality for centuries. The Romans used to classify olive oil into five categories, with the socially designated upper classes (priests, nobles, and athletes) privileged to enjoy the very best of the oil and the slaves destined to have the oil extracted from rotten olives.
Talk about an unfair class system!
The Romans’ five designated categories were:

• Oleum ex albis ulivis:
  oil extracted from green olives
  
• Oleum viridum:
  oil extracted from olives beginning to color or ripen
  
• Oleum maturum:
  oil extracted from ripe or mature olives
  
• Oleum caducum:
  oil extracted from olives that have fallen to the ground
  
• Oleum cibarium:
  oil extracted from rotten olives or olives with worms (it is interesting to note that the word
  cibarium
  also refers to “food”)
  

Since that time the classifications and definitions have gone through many iterations, including the designations of virgin oil as “sweet oil,” or “sweet oyl” in some early references, for late-harvested olives. Even today, olive oils may be distinguished by their quality and by the subtle and not-so-subtle differences in varieties, flavors, and aromas. Still, the primary distinction of extra virgin olive oil is its lack of defects.

Most olive oil-producing countries use a set of designated standards to grade their olive oil. The European Union, as the leading world producer, generating over 80 percent (and consuming 70 percent) of the world’s olive oil, has led the way for new regulations that focus on clear definitions and labels. New international standards (beginning with the fall harvest of 2003) have been adopted by the International Olive Oil Council (I
OOC)
, an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Madrid, Spain, that focuses on maintaining the integrity of the olive industry worldwide.

Definitions

To the neophyte olive oil consumer (and even to those who have grown up with olive oil by their side), the classifications of olive oil can be confusing. Depending upon the rules and legal regulations of the different countries throughout the world, not all classifications are sold directly
to the consumer. In addition, some countries require more specific designations and labeling. I am presenting brief descriptions of only three olive oils (two virgins and one refined) and one olive-pomace oil that you will most likely find in a store or on the Internet.

Please note that I am
not
defining all the grades of olive oil or olive-pomace oil
nor
presenting a highly detailed chemical composition or gas chromatography for each classification of olive oil. Those readers who want additional information should log on to the IOOC website (
www.internationaloliveoil.org
) or the California Olive Oil Council’s website (
www.cooc.com
).