Geschiedenis

The origin of olives
The lineage of the first olives is located on the border between Turkey and Syria. To the period around 6000-8000 years ago. The exact details are not clear. A DNA study of fossilized pollen of wild olives helped to narrow it down to this period.

For thousands of years, the main function of olive oil was to light lamps rather than for culinary use. Edible olives seem to date back to the Bronze Age (3150 to 1200 BC). Over the centuries, human cultivation succeeded in reducing the bitterness in olives and also increased production. There are now more than 700 species around the world.

The first expansion of olive cultivation seems to have been around Greece and Egypt. (1700 BC) The palace of Knossos on Crete is part of that legacy. Another example is an olive tree on the island of Crete that is 4000 years old.

Later, the Phoenicians are said to have brought olives to Spain and North Africa around 1000 BC. The expansion of the Roman Empire was the key to olive oil. Production increased dramatically and olive oil became the most popular. More olive mills were built as this culinary food became more popular.

You can visit the Matera Olive Oil Museum in Southern Italy to learn more about that specific region.

Source: (https://www.piccavey.com)