by Marie-Luise Stromer

Created on: April 28, 2010   Last Updated: September 16, 2010

It was between five and seven millenia ago that people first had the idea that olives, which can’t be eaten right off the tree, can be made edible by special processing to reduce their bitterness. This happened on the island of Crete and spread throughout Egypt, Greece, Palestine and Asia Minor. Or was it in Central Persia and Mesopotamia spreading from there to Egypt, Phoenicia and then Greece? Different researchers have different theories.

They all agree, however, upon Minoan Crete as the first place to engage in full-scale cultivation of olives and that they have played a primary role in Crete’s economy for over 2000 years. But not only the fruit has been important, the olive tree has provided people also with fuel, timber and medicine throughout history.

Spanish and Portuguese explorers took olive trees to America in the 15th and 16th century, Franciscan missionaries started cultivating olives in California in the 18th century. In modern times commercial cultivation can mainly be found in Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey.

What colour does an olive have? Are there trees producing green ones and others producing black ones? No, there is only one variety, the colour depends on the time when the olives are picked. Still unripe, they’re green, ripe, they’re black. But if you buy black olives, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve bought ripe ones. It’s possible to create the black colour by exposing unripe green olives to air, the oxidation process makes them black. Processing them in oil, water, brine or salt and fermentation also influence the colour.

For people outside the Mediterranean area and Asia Minor olives are an acquired taste, there aren’t many people talking about love at first bite. But persevering is worth while as olives are so good for your health that it’s a miracle how someone can become old and stay healthy without ever eating any. They’re full of vitamin E which goes after and neutralises free radicals in all fat rich areas of the body. Furthermore, they contain a variety of compounds with anti-inflammatory properties. The nutrients in olives are said to prevent heart disease and colon cancer and help lower blood cholesterol levels. As if this weren’t enough, eating olives may also help reduce the severity of asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and the frequency and intensity of hot flashes during menopause.

You can buy whole olives either with or without

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