People have long cultivated olive trees for the production of olive fruit, olive oil, olive leaf, fine wood, and ornamental items.The olive tree and the fruit share the name of their plant family with species including jasmine, lilacs, the true ash trees, and Forsythia. The olive tree is a type of species within the Olea genus.Olive, known by the botanical term Olea europaea, which means ‘European olive,’ is a small tree species of the Oleaceae family. Olives traditionally occur in the Mediterranean Basin. All the countries in the Mediterranean cultivate olives, as do places in South and North America, New Zealand, Southern Africa, Spain, Israel, Syria, Palestine, the Canary Islands, and Australia. The term olive is derived from Latin, meaning ‘olive tree’ or ‘olive fruit’, and is probably from archaic Proto-Greek. In the Pliocene deposits recovered from Mongardino, Italy, the fossils of olive leaves were found. However, the originating root of an olive tree is not quite clear as it got lost within the expanding Mediterranean civilizations. However, the fossil evidence of the olive tree of the Mediterranean Basin shows that the tree has its early origins in the Oligocene Age around 20-40 million years ago in what is currently the eastern Mediterranean, Italy, and France. Wild olives were already being collected during the Neolithic period in Greece. The edible cultivated olives’ genome points to origins from the oleaster populations of the eastern Mediterranean.The first olive plants were cultivated around 7,000 years ago across the Mediterranean. Also, olive trees found around the Mediterranean sea groves are centuries old, dating back to 3,500 years ago. An olive tree can be productive and survive for centuries if looked after well. Many of the planted olive trees around the groves are 2,000 years old and some younger trees are around 1,0000 years old. In the 18th-century, the olive tree was established by missionaries for Spain in California. A Roman historian believes that the first olive tree in Italy was brought in during the reign of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, the Elder. After that, cultivation moved from the southern parts of the country to the north.Ancient Greeks spread olive oil on their hair and bodies for good health and grooming. Olive oil was also used in many more ways. It was observed by Greeks from the evidence of cultivated olive trees that olives could only grow well on mountain slopes and would rarely flourish around the sea.If you enjoyed reading these facts about where do olives come from, then make sure to read some more interesting facts which reveal answers to where does coffee come from and where do pine nuts come from here on Kidadl.Where do green olives come from?The olive tree is a native species of Asia Minor, which then spread to Palestine, Israel, Syria, and Iran before spreading to the rest of the Mediterranean regions.There are many varieties of olives from an olive plant. The first cultivation was made in Lima, from the seedlings of Spanish trees in 1560 by Antonio de Rivera.After the ripening and processing of olive oil or brine, the polyphenol composition varies in olive fruits. Olives are mainly harvested in winter and autumn. Green olives are picked from the end of September through to mid-November. Raw green olives taste bitter without the curing process so, if you were thinking of plucking and eating an olive off a tree, then be prepared for an unpleasant taste! Green olives consist of 1% protein, 4% carbohydrates, 15% fat, and 75% water.Green olives are prepared using many methods such as seen in the directly-brined type or Picholine, Greek type or Sicilian, salt-cured type, water-cured type, and artificial ripening or California type. To make them edible, the olives are first cleaned and cured using a brine of oil, flavorings (artificial Iye), and salt. The salinity for green olives initially is 12-14%, which increases by 2% every two to three weeks. There are no particular nutritional differences between black and green olives. Olive fruits have a high mineral content and good fats.The olive tree is now found outside Mediterranean regions including in Japan, China, Australia, and South Africa. Spain is the largest olive producer and California, in the United States, produces a high number of olive seeds.Some cons of eating green olive species are possible diarrhea, low blood pressure and sugar, inflammation, and saturated, and trans fat diseases.Where do Kalamata olives come from?Kalamata olives come from the Messinia in Greece.Kalamata olives come from similar habitats to that of green or black lives. However, they are named after the place Kalamata in Greece where these trees were first grown. They are harvested using sticks or machines to shake the olive trees for the fruit. They can also be left on the tree until the olives become ripe and fall on the land on their own or they can be picked by hand. Kalamata olives are harvested in late fall. They are beneficial to health like all olives and are good for your skin too. These oval fruits are dark purple in color and originate from Messinia, Greece. These olives are categorized by a fleshy pulp with a central pit. Mostly for human consumption as table olives, they can also be used for oils. Like other olives, these too are naturally bitter so they are also placed in brine for fermentation.These olives, however, have low carbs and higher fat content. They have cancer-fighting characteristics and improve heart health as they have high oleic acid. They also have calcium, copper, iron, and vitamin E and A, and antioxidants. All varieties of olives are choking hazards for children. You can add Kalamata olives to your pasta, pizzas, salads, and use them in dressings. You can also eat olives alone.Where do Maddelena olives come from?Maddelena olives mostly come from olive trees planted in their natural habitats in Maddelena.These olives are named after the place Maddelena, probably because these trees were grown there first. Maddelena olives contain sodium, carbohydrates, and fat. There is not much information available on the history of these olives but the olive tree culture reached the Romans through the early Greeks. Olive oil has always been considered holy and sacred, and the olive branch is still a symbol of hope, peace, and abundance. Olive oil is used for cooking, for religious reasons, as lubricants, for skincare, cosmetics, detergents, and soaps. To produce good-tasting olive oil, the olives should neither be picked when they are still green (bitter) nor too black (bad quality).Where do Aldi feta stuffed olives come from?Aldi feta stuffed olives are a recent food trend on social media and they are made by using only a few ingredients.Based on a lot of food content found on social media, feta cheese stuffed olive pasta is a quite popular food. Aldi is a supermarket from Germany but is now spread across many regions. All the ingredients to prepare this dish can be bought from this supermarket. The dish has been described as the best way to eat olives. The ingredients needed to make this are feta cheese, pasta, and a lot of olives.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestion for A Mediterranean Delight: Where Do Olives Come From? then why not take a look at why do dogs like peanut butter? Is peanut butter really a protein treat?, or Why do cats lay on your chest? Cool facts on cat sleep to know?
People have long cultivated olive trees for the production of olive fruit, olive oil, olive leaf, fine wood, and ornamental items.
