Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Italy: an unbreakable gastronomic bond

Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Italy: an unbreakable gastronomic bond

Olive oil, particularly extra virgin olive oil, is one of the fundamental pillars of the Mediterranean diet, recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Rich in unsaturated fats, antioxidants and beneficial properties, it helps prevent cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and neurodegenerative problems, as well as promoting gut and immune system health. This golden nectar not only nourishes but also plays an important role in cosmetics and religious rituals, serving as a sacred ointment, medicinal oil and ingredient for perfumes.

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EVO Oil in Ancient Times

This substance is one of the most iconic symbols of the Mediterranean, with a millennia-old history that stretches back into ancient times. Its origins date back to around 4000 BC, with the earliest evidence of its use in Armenia, Palestine and India. Since then, olive oil has served multiple roles: as a skin ointment, a source of lighting with oil lamps, a medicinal remedy and a trade commodity. The cultivation of the olive tree and production of oil spread rapidly throughout the Mediterranean, thanks in part to the Greeks and Babylonians, who regulated production and trade around 2500 BC, and to the Romans, who disseminated the plant across their empire, refining pressing techniques and classifying different types of oil.

Ancient olive trees

The olive tree and its oil have been at the center of myths and legends, such as those of Athena and Poseidon in ancient Greece, where the goddess was credited with gifting the sacred tree, symbolizing wisdom, peace, and prosperity. The history of the olive tree is deeply intertwined with the civilizations bordering the Mediterranean Sea, spreading from the coasts of Syria and Palestine through Phoenicia and Greece, reaching Italy thanks to the Magna Graecia colonists and Phoenician and Carthaginian merchants around the 7th century BC.

Throughout the centuries, olive oil has had many uses: in ancient civilizations, as a fuel for lighting, skin protection during sports activities, medicine for wounds, ulcers and as a religious offering. Even today, in many Mediterranean cultures, olive oil is used in beauty and personal care products, thanks to its moisturizing, soothing and elasticizing properties.

Olive oil in ancient beauty care

Olive Oil in Ancient Rome

The Romans played a key role in spreading olive cultivation across their territories; during this period, olive oil was also used as a form of currency for paying customs duties. They further refined pressing and extraction techniques and began classifying oils based on the harvest time of the olives. They knew five types of olive oil: oleum ex albis ulivis (obtained from green olives), oleum viride (from olives at an intermediate ripeness), oleum maturum (from fully ripe olives), oleum caducum (from fallen olives) and oleum cibarium (from almost overripe olives). Roman legends attribute the introduction of olive cultivation in Italy to Hercules, who supposedly brought it from what is now Tunisia, while Minerva was said to have taught humans how to cultivate and extract oil from the plants. The fall of the Roman Empire temporarily halted the development of olive cultivation and oil use, but the importance of this product was already firmly established throughout the Mediterranean basin, where the trees found their ideal habitat.

The recent history of EVO Oil

In the Middle Ages, agriculture focused primarily on sustenance, with cereals cultivated mainly for bread, relegating the olive to a secondary role, often preferred over animal fats like butter and lard. Knowledge of cultivation and pressing techniques was preserved by the Church and religious orders, who kept the traditions alive. Olive oil was also used in liturgical functions, helping to maintain this tradition. It was only around 1100 AD that olive cultivation revived in Italy and during the city-states period, large-scale trade of olive oil began. By the 13th century, olive oil was the most widespread condiment in the Mediterranean, while in Northern Europe, animal fats still prevailed.

Olive oil trade in medieval Italy

In the 1700s, agronomists began to recognize different cultivars, distinguishing them based on their geographic origin and sensory properties. Olive oil from Italy was exported throughout Europe. Tuscany, Liguria and the Garda region were already renowned for their high-quality oil. During this period, the first olive trees from Spain and Portugal reached the Americas, planted in Catholic missions. By 1900, thanks also to Italian and Greek immigrants, olive oil gained global diffusion, especially in North America. However, in Anglophone countries and some Mediterranean regions, olive oil was still considered a "poor" food compared to animal fats. Only with the rediscovery of the Mediterranean Diet emphasizing olive oil as a key element of a healthy lifestyle, did this perception change and olive oil reemerged as a symbol of identity, culture and tradition.

Olive Oil in Italy

In Italy, and particularly in Tuscany, olive oil has a long tradition of excellence. Thanks to its hilly landscape, fertile soils and traditional cultivation techniques, Tuscany produces some of the most appreciated oils in the world, known for their fruity, aromatic and balanced flavor. The region has successfully promoted native cultivars like Frantoio and Leccino and developed a high-quality agro-food sector, exporting its oil worldwide.

Similarly, Liguria, with its steep valleys and less favorable climate, developed innovative techniques like terracing and building retaining walls that allowed cultivation on difficult terrains. The centuries-old Ligurian olive trees, often characterized by gnarled shapes and deep roots, have become regional symbols, celebrated in poetry such as Giovanni Boine’s: “Our monuments are not in the town squares; they are in our terraces.” The presence of ancient olive groves and high-quality oils define the region’s identity, where human ingenuity has adapted to the territory’s challenges.

Olive groves in Liguria

In conclusion, olive oil, with its ancient roots and its presence across every era and culture of the Mediterranean, symbolizes much more than just a food: it is a symbol of identity, history, culture and tradition that continues to be handed down today in Liguria, Tuscany and throughout the Mediterranean basin.

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