Olive Hut Blog

Olive Bloom

2010-05-27T21:41:00.001-07:00

Well it's olive bloom season again. The bloom is heavy, and weather has been conducive to good pollination. The temperatures have been warm enough, but rain showers have washed some of the bloom away. This could lead to a natural thinning, which could be positive, because the bloom is so heavy. But it's too early to tell yet.

The sick trees bloomed early. I say "sick" because 4 days of very low temperatures, (in the teens), in December 2009 caused new growth shoots to split and open, allowing olive knot to enter, thereby disrupting the molecular structures of the branches. We'll probably have about 33% loss in production of Manzanilla fruit due to the 2009 freeze. Any varieties that were pruned prior to bloom will bloom directly after the sick tree bloom. Normally Manzanillas bloom first. Any trees that haven't been pruned will bloom last. Bloom will end in the next 7 to 10 days.

Muffaletta Olive Spread Recipe

2009-03-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1/2 cup black olives, pitted and drained
1/2 cup green olives, salad-type
1 stalk celery
2 tablespoons capers
1 red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, approx
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

Chop the olives through garlic in the food processor. Add olive oil until mixture just begins to loosen up. Transfer to a bowl and stir in herbs and pepper. Store in the fridge

NOTE: This spread is wonderful on a New Orleans style muffaletta sandwich but is also great on crostini, crackers and flour tortillas or pita bread points.

Olive Boy says -

The Olive Hut Blog is going to a new monthly format. Be certain to check periodically throughout the month for specials, however!

If you have suggestions for features you would like to see implemented into the Olive Hut Blog, please leave a Comment. Or, you may send your suggestions directly to Olive Boy!

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Chicken with Olives - Moroccan Tajine Recipe

Green Olive Dip Recipe

2009-02-06T07:17:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 package (8 oz. size) cream cheese
1 jar green olives
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 tablespoon salad dressing
Garlic salt

Directions:
Whip cream and set aside. Beat cream cheese, then add whipped cream and salad dressing. Fold in olives and sprinkle garlic salt to taste. Serve with crackers.

Olive Boy says -

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive Tapenade Recipe

Greek Feta and Olive Spread Recipe

2009-01-30T07:17:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
6 ounces Feta cheese
1 1/2 tablespoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon Lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Garlic, minced
2 ounces Sun-dried tomatoes (rehydrated in warm water for 20 minutes)
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1 tablespoon Black olives, minced
Pita bread

Directions:
Place the feta, oil, lemon juice, garlic, tomatoes and oregano in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth. Place in a bowl and blend in the olives by hand. Serve with toasted pita triangles.

Feta Cheese-Olive Spread Recipe

2009-01-23T07:18:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 package (8 oz. size) cream cheese
3 tablespoons milk (or butter or olive oil)
1/3 cup black olives, chopped
1/3 cup green olives, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Can be made into ball and rolled in parsley. Or, to use as a spread (softer), make it in the food processor:

Start with both cheeses and mix well: add enough milk to make a spreading consistency. After you have the consistency you want, add garlic and blend. Add olives (any variety you like) and parsley and pulse a few times.

Turn into pretty bowl and serve with crackers or carrots, celery, peppers, etc

Creamy Olive Spread Recipe

2009-01-16T07:18:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup pimiento stuffed olives, chopped (reserve liquid)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons reserved olive liquid
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 dash Tabasco
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with electric beater until fluffy. Add mayonnaise and beat until creamy. Add olives, nuts, olive liquid, cayenne, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce and blend well. Cover and chill for 24 hours before serving. Serve with assorted crackers or party rye slices.

Chopped Olive Spread Recipe

2009-01-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
12 ounces pimiento-stuffed green olives, halved if large
8 ounces pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup drained capers
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped (optional)
2 cloves garlic, smashed with the blade of a knife and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process with short pulses until evenly chopped. Do not overprocess - some texture should remain. Add just the seasoning and serve.

Cheese Olive Dip Recipe

2009-01-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
1 bunch green onions, roughly chopped
1 can black pitted olives, drained
2 cups sharp shredded cheddar
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow curry powder (more if desired)
1 pinch saffron (optional)

Directions:
Put all the ingredients in a food processor and process until everything is minced well. About 5-10 short pulses. Do not over-chop, it should not be puréed. Let the dip sit for at least an hour in the refrigerator to let the flavors come together.

California Olive Trees

Black Olive Yogurt Cheese with Flatbread Recipe

2008-12-26T05:38:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted, cut into slivers
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Assorted flatbreads and/or crackers

Directions
Wet large square of cheesecloth and wring dry. Line sieve with damp cloth; place sieve over bowl. Spoon yogurt into sieve, fold cheesecloth ends over yogurt, and chill overnight to drain. Scrape drained yogurt into medium bowl. Mix in olives and lemon juice. Do ahead: Can be made 1 hour ahead. Cover; chill. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. Place on platter with flatbreads and/or crackers.
Makes 1 cup

Cheese-Olive Dip Recipe

2008-12-19T07:09:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
1 package (8-oz. size) cream cheese
12 green olives -- chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt
pepper

Directions
Mix all ingredients. Salt & pepper to taste. Chill.
Note: Serve with Fritos chips.
Makes 1.5 cups.

Olive Boy Says -

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olives - Picking and Making Oil

Black-Olive Yogurt Cheese With Flatbread Recipe

2008-12-12T07:11:00.000-08:00

Olive Boy Says -

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Liver, French Fries, and Olives

Black Olive Dip Recipe

2008-12-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
2 cups grated Longhorn cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cup diced black olives
6 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley leaves
1 teaspoon curry powder

Directions
In a medium mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together. Cover and chill well. Store, covered, in refrigerator. Makes 3 cups.

Olive Boy Says -
Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive farmers talk about how they like to eat olives

Bean Olive Dip Recipe

2008-11-28T07:41:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
2 cans (7-oz size) chili with beans
6 ounces cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
4 tablespoons canned diced green chiles
Sliced green scallions, washed thoroughly

Directions
In crockpot, combine chili, cream cheese, olives and chiles. Cover and heat on low until cream cheese melts, about 1 hour. Stir very gently to mix ingredients. Sprinkle with scallions. Serve with blue or white tortilla chips.

Olive Boy Says -
Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

"Good Eats" - Cooking with Olives

Avocado Olive Dip Recipe

2008-11-21T06:41:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
3 avocados, peeled, seeded, and mashed
1 can black olives, drained and sliced
1 can (4-oz. size) chili or Jalapeño peppers (medium to hot)
7 small green onions, chopped
3 large tomatoes, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Directions
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Refrigerate at least 2 hours for flavors to blend.

Excellent served with corn chips.

Olive Boy Says -

With harvest ended for green olives, state-wide production is well below normal. Sevillano production was at a very low level, due to April 20 freeze of 26° F, a long with 6 weeks of north wind over 100° F. Now is the time to order your black olives! Finding black olives has been difficult, but Olive Boy is on the search!

On the farm, we are discing the ground in preparation for rigging next to the trees. Last year, we planted 7,000 new trees, provided by Vito Delandas at Visalia, CA. We tied them to their stakes and pruned the bottom growth to promote growth to the upper part of the trees.

This year’s production was on 150 acres of actual olive trees. We produce 500 tons of olives—200 tons to fresh marketing and 300 tons to the cannery for Black Ripe olives or Pizza Olives or naturals at Bell-Carter Foods.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Beautiful Olives from Ngai Tuhoe

Anchovy Olive Dip Recipe

2008-11-14T06:19:00.000-08:00

Anchovy Olive Dip Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup finely chopped stuffed green olives
1 1/2 tablespoon anchovy paste
1/2 teaspoon grated onion

Directions
Combine all ingredients; mix well.
Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.
This recipe makes 1.5 cups

Olive Boy Says -

With harvest ended for green olives, state-wide production is well below normal. Sevillano production was at a very low level, due to April 20 freeze of 26° F, a long with 6 weeks of north wind over 100° F. Now is the time to order your black olives! Finding black olives has been difficult, but Olive Boy is on the search!

On the farm, we are discing the ground in preparation for rigging next to the trees. Last year, we planted 7,000 new trees, provided by Vito Delandas at Visalia, CA. We tied them to their stakes and pruned the bottom growth to promote growth to the upper part of the trees.

This year’s production was on 150 acres of actual olive trees. We produce 500 tons of olives—200 tons to fresh marketing and 300 tons to the cannery for Black Ripe olives or Pizza Olives or naturals at Bell-Carter Foods.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Seggiano - Olive Picking

The Harvest

2008-11-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

Olive Boy says:

With harvest ended for green olives, state-wide production is well below normal. Sevillano production was at a very low level, due to April 20 freeze of 26° F, a long with 6 weeks of north wind over 100° F. Now is the time to order your black olives! Finding black olives has been difficult, but Olive Boy is on the search!

On the farm, we are discing the ground in preparation for rigging next to the trees. Last year, we planted 7,000 new trees, provided by Vito Delandas at Visalia, CA. We tied them to their stakes and pruned the bottom growth to promote growth to the upper part of the trees.

This year’s production was on 150 acres of actual olive trees. We produce 500 tons of olives—200 tons to fresh marketing and 300 tons to the cannery for Black Ripe olives or Pizza Olives or naturals at Bell-Carter Foods.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Growing California Olives Is a Family Business

Lye Curing Green Olives

2008-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Olive Boy says -

Always lye-cure green olives. If air bubbles through the lye solution, those green olives turn black; the California black olive is born. Pick and clean the olives. Immerse the olives in a lye solution (2 tablespoons flake lye in 1 quart water) for 12 hours. Dispose of lye solution, immerse olives in new lye solution for 12 more hours. Cut into some of the largest olives to see if the lye penetrated the olive (olive will be soft to the pit, easy to cut to the pit, and the flesh will be yellowish green when ready). Soak olives in water for 3 days, changing the water at least 3-4 times/day. Taste an olive on the fourth day. It should taste sweet and fatty, with no bitterness, a little like a tiny avocado. Immerse for 1 week in a light brine, about 6 Tbs salt in gallon of water.

***Lye is caustic! Remember to wear rubber gloves. Use lemon juice or vinegar to neutralize lye burns.***

You can also make marinades for your cured olives! Good flavors/herbs to use in various combinations are: garlic, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, dried chiles, fennel seed, peppercorns, coriander seed, orange peel, lemon peel, lemon slices, cumin seed.

Thanks! - Olive Boy

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive Oil Tasting in McLaren Vale

Brine Curing

2008-10-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

Olive Boy Says:

Brine-cured red-ripe or black-ripe olives are Greek-style; brine-cured green olives are Sicilian style. The red-ripe olives generally turn a grey green to pink, while the black-ripe ones keep their color, becoming a Kalamata-deep purple. Deeply slit each olive using a sharp paring knife, then place them into a brine (1/4 cup canning salt in 1 quart water). Weigh down the olives, making sure they are fully immersed. Cover the olives, stir once in awhile, wait one week. Rinse, and change the olive brine once/week for at least 3 weeks. Taste, if still too bitter, keep changing brine 1/week. The scum that forms on top of the vat is harmless if olives are immersed, but get rid of it when you see it.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

Picking Olives on the Croatian Adriatic

Pasta with Black Olive Sauce: Stringozzi Alle Olive

2008-10-17T07:08:00.000-07:00

Olive Boy says, "Try this recipe featuring olives!"

Pasta with Black Olive Sauce: Stringozzi Alle Olive

Ingredients
1 recipe basic pasta dough, recipe follows
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 pound white mushrooms, cut into thick slices
2 cups pitted black olives
1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/4 cup
1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating

Directions
Prepare the pasta dough according to the recipe and roll it out to the fourth from last thickness on a pasta rolling machine. Cut into 1/4-inch thick ribbons and set aside.

In a 12 to 14-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute over high heat until the mushrooms are browned. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sauteed mushrooms and garlic, the olives and the parsley and puree. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.

In the same sauté pan, heat the butter over high heat until it foams and subsides. Add the olive puree and chile flakes and cook 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water 1 or 2 minutes. Drain and toss in the saute pan with the sauce. Divide evenly among 4 warmed pasta bowls, grate Parmigiano-Reggiano over, and serve immediately.

Basic Pasta Dough
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
4 extra large eggs
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Mound 3 1/2 cups of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and the olive oil. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and oil and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well.

As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the well shape. The dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated.

Start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands. Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up and discard any leftover bits. Lightly reflour the board and continue kneading for six more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Roll or shape as desired.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Eating Green Olives

Olive Boy Says -

2008-10-10T07:04:00.001-07:00

Harvest has been steady as we go! With lighter than normal harvest tonnage, labor has been plentiful. Pickers has great attitudes about harvest, because the olives are abundant in the orchards that have olives. 2008 brought the April 20th freeze—24 - 27 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on your location. Then May saw temperatures of 100+ degrees, with north wind, for a month. The culmination of harvest is about two weeks away.

Thanks sincerely! - Olive Boy

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

The Pimento

The Pimento, Pimiento, or Cherry Pepper is a variety of large, red, heart-shaped chili pepper (Capsicum annuum) that measures 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) long and 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3 inches) wide (medium, elongate). The flesh of the pimento is sweet, succulent and more aromatic than that of the red bell pepper. Some varieties of the pimento type are hot, including the Floral Gem and Santa Fe Grande varieties. Pimento or pimentão are Portuguese words for "bell pepper," while pimenta refers both to chili peppers and to black peppercorns. It is typically used fresh, or pickled and jarred.

Pimento as an olive stuffing

Green Spanish olives stuffed with pimento visibleThese sweet pimento peppers are also the familiar red stuffing found in prepared Spanish green Olives. The pimento was originally cut into small pieces and hand stuffed into fresh green olives to complement the strong flavor of the olive. For ease of production pimento is often pureed and formed with the help of a natural gum (such as sodium alginate or guar gum) into strips. This allows the olive stuffing to be completed by a machine and increases the availability of the olives by lowering their cost of production. However, it also makes the olives less accessible to consumers with peanut allergies, as those individuals may have a cross-reaction to guar.

Rachael Ray Makes Her Mom's Olive Spread

Olive Boy Says -

2008-10-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

The Olive tree is an evergreen tree or shrub native to the Mediterranean, Asia and parts of Africa. It is short and squat, and rarely exceeds 8–15 meters in height. The silvery green leaves are oblong in shape, measuring 4–10 cm long and 1–3 cm wide. The trunk is typically gnarled and twisted.

The small white flowers, with four-cleft calyx and corolla, two stamens and bifid stigma, are borne generally on the last year's wood, in racemes springing from the axils of the leaves.

The fruit is a small drupe 1–2.5 cm long, thinner-fleshed and smaller in wild plants than in orchard cultivars. Olives are harvested at the green stage or left to ripen to a rich purple colour (black olive). Canned black olives may contain chemicals that turn them black artificially.

Olive harvest began August 25th for fresh olives. The large (Bell-Carter, Musco) canneries opened on September 8th. Harvest found us with plentiful help—fewer olives than pickers. But we shall survive! Warm summer temperatures sized the fruit and ripened it to perfection. Thanks! - Olive Boy

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive Picking

Olive Boy Says -

2008-09-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

Olives are very nutritious. Olives are high in Monounsaturated fat, iron, Vitamin E, and dietary fiber. Naturally ripened purple/black appearing olives contain anthocyanins. This does not include artificially ripened "black olives" that are frequently canned and sent to grocery stores. There is also an effect that typical processing has on the quantity and type of anthocyanins contained in olives.

Olive harvest began August 25th for fresh olives. The large (Bell-Carter, Musco) canneries opened on September 8th. Harvest found us with plentiful help—fewer olives than pickers. But we shall survive! Warm summer temperatures sized the fruit and ripened it to perfection. Thanks! - Olive Boy

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Chicken with Olives - Cooking with Alia

Olive Boy Says -

2008-09-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

Olive harvest began August 25th for fresh olives. The large (Bell-Carter, Musco) canneries opened on September 8th. Harvest found us with plentiful help—fewer olives than pickers. But we shall survive! Warm summer temperatures sized the fruit and ripened it to perfection. Thanks! - Olive Boy

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Batali Makes Spaghetti with Green Olives

Olives - Cultivation

2008-09-12T06:42:00.000-07:00

Cultivation of the olive was (and remains) a key characteristic of Mediterranean mixed farming, and played a large part in the economic development of ancient Greece because of the suitability of olive oil as an export crop. For instance Attica, the region of Athens, was a grain importer and olive oil exporter from early historic times. The Athenian pottery industry was stimulated largely by the demand for containers in which to export olive oil.

Spain has become the world's largest producer of olives and olive oil, with the province of Seville, Andalusia as a major producer of the fruit and the province of Jaén, Andalusia as a major producer of the oil.

In modern times the olive has been spread widely around the world; and, though the Mediterranean lands that were its ancient home remain the main source of the oil, the tree is now cultivated successfully in many regions unknown to its early distributors. Protected by high brick walls, a fruiting olive tree is in the Chelsea Physic Garden, London. Soon after the discovery of the Americas it was taken there by the Spanish settlers. In Chile it flourishes as luxuriantly as in its native land, the trunk sometimes attaining a large girth, while oil of fair quality is yielded by the fruit. To Peru it was carried at a later date and now has flourished very successfully. It was introduced into Mexico by the Jesuit missionaries of the 17th century, and to Upper California (where it stagnated later). Olive cultivation has also been attempted in the south-eastern states, especially in South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi. In the eastern hemisphere the olive has been established in many inland districts which would have been anciently considered ill-adapted for it. It was known at a comparatively early period of history in Armenia and Persia, and many olive-groves now exist in Upper Egypt. The tree has been introduced into Chinese agriculture, and has become an important addition to Australia's farmers, and there are probably few coast districts there where the tree would not flourish. In Queensland the olive has found a climate specially suitable; and in South Australia, near Adelaide. It has likewise been successfully introduced into some parts of South Africa and New Zealand.

Packaged olives, sold as an Italian snack foodA pleasing substitute for the butter and animal fats consumed by people to the north, the olive, among the southern nations of antiquity, became an emblem not only of peace but of national wealth and domestic plenty; the branches borne in the Panathenaea, the wild olive spray of the Olympic victor, the olive crown of the Roman conqueror at ovation, and those of the equites at their imperial review were symbols of peace that, in a barbarous age, could be secured by victory alone. Among the Greeks the oil was valued as an important article of diet, as well as for its external use. The Roman people employed it widely in food and cookery--the wealthy as an indispensable adjunct to grooming; and in the luxurious days of the later empire it was said that long and pleasant life depended on two fluids: wine within and oil without. Pliny describes fifteen varieties of olive cultivated in his day, the Licinian being most esteemed, and the oil obtained from Venafrum in Campania, the finest known to Roman connoisseurs. The produce of Istria and Baetica was then regarded as second only to that of the Italian peninsula.

Gourmets from the Roman empire to the present day have valued the unripe fruit, steeped in brine, as challenging to the palate. Pickled olives, retaining their characteristic flavor, have been found among the buried stores of Pompeii. Note also that the green olive and black olive are from the same plant; green olives are picked before being ripened, black olives after.

The bitter juice deposited during pressing of the oil (called amurca), and the astringent leaves of the tree have many virtues attributed to them by ancient authors. The oil of the bitter wild olive was employed by Roman physicians in medicine, but does not appear ever to have had a culinary use.

The olive is used in different culinary disciplines: in cocktails it is an essential adjunct of the martini; in sausages, it may be used in mortadella and so on. It is commonly used in breads as well.

In the United States olive oil is graded differently from the rest of the world as they are not part of the International Olive Oil Council which defines the standards and monitors production of olive oil in most countries around the world.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese and Green Olives

Olives - History

2008-09-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

It is not known exactly when the wild olive became a domesticated crop. A leaf from an olive tree is mentioned in chapter 8 of Genesis when Noah finds one in the dove's beak. In the Homeric world, as depicted in the Iliad, olive oil is known only as a luxury of the wealthy--an exotic product, prized chiefly for its value in grooming; warriors would anoint themselves after bathing, and the body of Patroclus is described as being oiled in this way. But no mention of the cultivation of the plant is made, whereas a vineyard is mentioned in the description of Achilles' shield. But, although no reference to the cultivation of the olive occurs in the Iliad, the presence of the tree in the garden of Alcinous and other allusions show it to have been known when the Odyssey was written.

Some of the different varieties of black and green marinated olives sold by farmers and in shopsAll tradition points to the limestone hills of Attica as the seat of its first cultivation on the Hellenic peninsula. The tree features in the myths of the founding of Athens: an olive is said to have sprung from the barren rock at the bidding of Athena, the city state's patron, when she fought with Poseidon. This suggests some relation to the first planting of the olive in Greece. There is also the remarkable story told by Herodotus of the Epidaurians, who, when their crops failed, were told by the Delphic oracle to erect statues to Damia and Auxesia (symbols of fertility) carved from the wood of the true garden olive, then possessed only by the Athenians. They did so when granted their request for a tree by the Athenians (on the condition of making an annual sacrifice to Athena) and their lands became fertile again. The sacred tree of the goddess long stood on the Acropolis, and, though destroyed in the Persian invasion, sprouted again from the root. Some suckers of the original tree were said to have produced the later revered olive trees of the Academy.

By the time of Solon the olive had spread so much that he found it necessary to enact laws to regulate the cultivation of the tree in Attica. From here it gradually spread to all the Athenian allies and tributary states. Phoenician vessels may have taken olive cuttings to the Ionian coast, where it abounded in the time of Thales; the olives of the Sporades, Rhodes and Crete perhaps had a similar origin. Samos, if we may judge from the epithet of Aeschylus, must have had the plant long before the Persian Wars.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Cats and Green Olives!

The Olive

2008-08-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

The Olive (Olea europaea) is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean region, from Lebanon, Syria and the maritime parts of Asia Minor and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea. Its fruit, the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the Mediterranean region as the source of olive oil.

The Olive tree is an evergreen tree or shrub native to the Mediterranean, Asia and parts of Africa. It is short and squat, and rarely exceeds 8–15 meters in height. The silvery green leaves are oblong in shape, measuring 4–10 cm long and 1–3 cm wide. The trunk is typically gnarled and twisted.

The small white flowers, with four-cleft calyx and corolla, two stamens and bifid stigma, are borne generally on the last year's wood, in racemes springing from the axils of the leaves.

The fruit is a small drupe 1–2.5 cm long, thinner-fleshed and smaller in wild plants than in orchard cultivars. Olives are harvested at the green stage or left to ripen to a rich purple colour (black olive). Canned black olives may contain chemicals that turn them black artificially.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Mad TV - Olive Garden Commercial

Olive Oil Extraction - Part 5

2008-08-22T06:15:00.000-07:00

Alternative configurations
Some producers, in order to maximise product quality, choose to combine the traditional grinding method, the stone mill, with a modern decanter. This technique produces more selective grinding of the olives, reduces the malaxation time olive paste, and avoids the complicated cleaning of the olive press fibre disks. Because the use of the stone mill requires a loading and unloading phase, this extraction method is discontinuous, i.e. there times where the all machinery is stopped, therefore it is generally not used on a large commercial scale, being applied only at small scale olive mills producing high quality olive oil.

Consumer point of view
High quality olive oil can be obtained by all the methods if proper measures are taken. Olive oil quality is equally dependent on the quality of the olives themselves and on the time they have to wait from harvesting to extraction, in addition to the extraction method itself.

The 2 worst “enemies” of olive oil are: Oxygen and light. Once an olive is harvested, it should be pressed within 24 hours. Oxidation begins immediately upon harvesting. In the period between harvest and grinding, the fruits' enzymes are very active and increasingly degrade the endogenous oil, and therefore oil obtained after a longer wait is of lower quality, presenting higher acidity (oleic acid percentage).

In addition, if additional oxygen is allowed to interact with the olive paste during the extraction process, the acidity level will increase further. Sealed extraction methods are best to prevent the continued introduction of oxygen, as well as light to the oil.

Lastly, after extraction of the oil is complete, the oil must be stored in cool stainless steel silos that are pumped free of oxygen. This will ensure the quality of the oil; the integrity and stability of the chemical makeup of the oil.

Future prospects
The future of olive extraction points to reducing the negative aspects of the present methods, decreasing the degradation oil produced by the extraction process in itself.

Reducing the oxidation by performing part of the process of malaxation and the extraction under a controlled nitrogen atmosphere
Extracting the nut of the olive before grinding, this will reduce the release of oxidative enzymes present in this organ, and yield a pomace that is free from wood residues, making it possible to be used in animal feeding
Reducing the addition of water to minimize the washing of polyphenols
Improving the sinolea method, through an increase in the efficiency of the adsorption of the oil to the plates, thus reducing the need for the use of standard methods of extraction

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

SuperFoods - Extra-virgin Olive Oil

Olive Oil Extraction - Part 4

2008-08-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

First cold pressed – cold extraction
Many oils are marketed as first cold pressed or cold extraction, this is a denomination describing the temperature at which the oil was obtained.

In the EU these designations are regulated by article 5 of Regulation 1019 of 2002. This article states that in order to use these designations the olive oil bottler must prove that the temperature of malaxation and extraction was under 27°C (80°F).

For olive oil bottled outside EU countries this regulation does not apply, and thus the consumer has no assurance that these statements are true.

The temperature of malaxation and extraction is crucial due to its effect on olive oil quality. When high temperatures are applied the more volatile aromas are lost and the rate of oil oxidation is increased, producing therefore lower quality oils. In addition, the chemical content of the polyphenols, antioxidants, and vitamins present in the oil is reduced by higher temperatures. The temperature is adjusted basically by controlling the temperature of the water added during these two steps. High temperatures are used to increase the yield of olive oil obtained from the paste.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive Oil to Boost Metabolism and Reverse Aging

Olive Oil Extraction - Part 3

2008-08-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

Sinolea
The Sinolea method to extract oil from the olives was introduced in 1972; in this process, rows of metal discs or plates are dipped into the paste; the oil preferentially wets and sticks to the metal and is removed with scrapers in a continuous process. It’s based on the different surface tension of the vegetation water and the oil, these different physical behaviors allow the olive oil to adhere to a steel plaque while the other two phases stay behind.

Sinolea works by continuously introducing several hundreds of steel plaques in to the paste thus extracting the olive oil. This process is not completely efficient leaving a large quantity of oil still in the paste, so the remaining paste has to be processed by the standard modern method (industrial decanter).

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages
Higher polyphenol content of oil
Low temperature method
Automated
Low labor
Oil/water separation step is not needed
Low energy requirement

Disadvantages
Often must be combined with one of the above methods in order to maximize oil extraction which requires more space and labor.

Large surface areas can lead to rapid oxidation of the olive product

Sale of future machines currently outlawed in the European Union due to difficulty in cleaning large surface areas.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

Seaweed in Olive Oil

- Scott Patton

Olive Oil Extraction - Part 2

2008-08-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

Modern method: decanter centrifugation
The modern method of olive oil extraction uses an industrial decanter to separate all the phases by centrifugation. In this method the olives are crushed to a fine paste. This can be done by a hammer crusher, disc crusher, depitting machine or knife crusher. This paste is then malaxed for 30 to 40 min in order to allow the small olive droplets to agglomerate. The aromas are created in these two steps through the action of fruit enzymes.

Afterwards the paste is pumped in to an industrial decanter where the phases will be separated. Water is added to facilitate the extraction process with the paste.

The decanter is a large capacity horizontal centrifuge rotating approximately 3000 rpm, the high centrifugal force created allows the phases to be readily separated according to their different densities (solids > vegetation water > oil). Inside the decanter's rotating conical drum there is a coil that rotates a few rpm slower, pushing the solid materials out of the system.

Three, two, and two and a half phases decanters
With the three phases oil decanter, a portion of the oil polyphenols is washed out due to the higher quantity of added water (when compared to the traditional method), producing a larger quantity of vegetation water that needs to be processed.

The two phases oil decanter was created as an attempt to solve these problems. Sacrificing part of its extraction capability, it uses less added water thus reducing the phenol washing. The olive paste is separated into two phases: oil and wet pomace. This type of decanter, instead of having three exits (oil, water and solids), has only two. The water is expelled by the decanter coil together with the pomace, resulting in a wetter pomace that is much harder to process industrially. Many pomace oil extraction facilities refuse to work with these materials because the energy costs of drying the pomace for the hexane oil extraction often make the extraction process sub-economical. In practice, then, the two phases decanter solves the phenol washing problem but increases the residue management problem.

The two and a half phases oil decanter is a compromise between the two previous types of decanters. It separates the olive paste into the standard three phases, but has a smaller need for added water and also a smaller vegetation water output. Therefore the water content of the obtained pomace comes very close to that of the standard three phases decanter, and the vegetation water output is relatively small, minimizing the residue management issues.

Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages

Compact machinery - one decanter can take the place of several presses
Continuous and automated
Limited labor required
highest percent of oil extraction
Vegetable water disposal less of a problem
Olive oil from two-phase centrifugation systems contains more phenols, tocopherols, trans-2-hexenal and total aroma compounds and is more resistant to oxidation than oil from three-phase ones and from hydraulic presses
Disadvantages

Expensive
More technical labor required
High energy consumption
Pomace may end up moist
Greater amount of vegetable water to be disposed of
Reduced antioxidants due to added water
Subject to wear from rocks, grit

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Ala Kelly - Italian Olive Oil

Olive Oil Extraction

2008-07-25T06:14:00.001-07:00

Olive oil extraction is the process of extracting the oil present in the olive drupes for food use. The oil is produced in the mesocarp cells, and stored in a particular type of vacuole called a lipovacuole, i.e., every cell contains a tiny olive oil droplet. Olive oil extraction is the process of separating the oil from the other fruit contents (vegetative extract liquid and solid material). This separation is attained only by physical means, i.e., oil and water don’t mix, so they are relatively easy to separate. This contrasts with other oils that are extracted with chemical solvents (generally hexane). The first operation when extracting olive oil is washing the olives, to reduce the presence of contaminants, especially soil which can create a particular flavour defect called "soil taste."

Traditional method: olive press
Grinder with two millstones and in the foreground several fiber disksPeople have used olive presses since Greeks first began pressing olives over 5000 years ago.[citation needed] Extant Roman era olive presses survive to the present time, with a notable collection present at Volubilis in Morocco. An olive press works by applying pressure to olive paste to separate the liquid oil and vegetation water from the solid material. The oil and vegetation water are then separated by standard decantation.

This basic method is still widely used today, and it’s still a valid way of producing high quality olive oil if adequate precautions are taken.

First the olives are ground into an olive paste using large millstones. The olive paste generally stays under the stones for 30 to 40 minutes. This has three objectives:

* to guarantee that the olives are well ground
* to allow enough time for the olive drops to join to form the largest droplets of oil
* allow the fruit enzymes to produce some of the oil aromas and taste
Rarely, olive oil mills use a modern crushing method with a traditional press.

After grinding, the olive paste is spread on fiber disks, which are stacked on top of each other, then placed into the press. Traditionally the disks were made of hemp or coconut fiber, but nowadays they’re made of synthetic fibers which are easier to clean and maintain.

These disks are then put on a hydraulic piston, forming a pile. Pressure is applied on the disks, thus compacting the solid phase of the olive paste and percolating the liquid phases (oil and vegetation water). The applied hydraulic pressure can go to 400 atm.

To facilitate separation of the liquid phases, water is run down the sides of the disks to increase the speed of percolation.

The liquids are then separated either by a standard process of decantation or by the means of a faster vertical centrifuge.

The traditional method is a valid form of producing high quality olive oil, if after each extraction the disks are properly cleaned from the remains of paste; if not the leftover paste will begin to ferment thereby producing inconsistencies of flavours (called defects) that will contaminate the subsequently produced olive oil. A similar problem can affect the grindstones, that in order to assure perfect quality, also require cleaning after each usage.

Advantages and disadvantages
Proper cleaning produces higher quality oil. Grindstones, while ancient in design, are a suitable way to grind olives, because this method breaks up the drupe's pulp while only slightly touching the nut and the skin. This reduces the release of the oil oxidation enzymes present in these organs. In addition, in this extraction method, the introduction of water is minimal when compared to the modern one, thus reducing the washing off of the polyphenols. The exhausted paste, called pomace, has a low content of water making it an easier residue to manage.

Advantages
Better grinding of the olives, reducing the release of oil oxidation enzymes
Reduced added water, minimizing the washing of polyphenols
Pomace with a low content of water easier to manage
Disadvantages

Difficult cleaning
Non continuous process with waiting periods thus exposing the olive paste to the action of oxygen and light.
Requires more manual labour
Longer time period from harvest to pressing

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

My Grandad Making Olive Oil

Turkish Cuisine

2008-07-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Turkish cuisine also influenced these cuisines and other neighbouring cuisines, as well as western European cuisines. The Ottomans fused various culinary traditions of their realm with influences from Middle Eastern cuisines, along with traditional Turkic elements from Central Asia such as yogurt. The Ottoman Empire indeed created a vast array of technical specialities. It can be observed that various regions of the Ottoman Empire contain varying selections from the vast array of Ottoman dishes.

A cup of Turkish coffee
Taken as a whole, Turkish cuisine is not homogeneous. Aside from common Turkish specialities that can be found throughout the country, there are also many region-specific specialities. The Black Sea region's cuisine (northern Turkey) is based on corn and anchovies. The southeast—Urfa, Gaziantep and Adana—is famous for its kebabs, mezes and dough-based desserts such as baklava, kadayıf and künefe. Especially in the western parts of Turkey, where olive trees are grown abundantly, olive oil is the major type of oil used for cooking. The cuisines of the Aegean, Marmara and Mediterranean regions display basic characteristics of Mediterranean cuisine as they are rich in vegetables, herbs, and fish. Central Anatolia is famous for its pastry specialities such as keşkek (kashkak), mantı (especially of Kayseri) and gözleme.

The name of specialities sometimes includes the name of a city or a region (either in Turkey or outside). This suggests that a dish is a speciality of that area, or may refer to the specific technique or ingredients used in that area. For example, the difference between Urfa kebab and Adana kebab is the use of garlic instead of onion and the larger amount of hot pepper that kebab contains.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive Oil Demystified

French Cuisine

2008-07-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

French cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of France. It evolved from centuries of social and political change. The Middle Ages brought lavish banquets to the upper class with ornate, heavily seasoned food prepared by chefs such as Guillaume Tirel. The era of the French Revolution, however, saw a move toward fewer spices and more liberal usage of herbs and refined techniques, beginning with François Pierre La Varenne and further developing with the famous chef of Napoleon Bonaparte and other dignitaries, Marie-Antoine Carême.

French cuisine was codified in the 20th century by Georges Auguste Escoffier to become the modern version of haute cuisine. Escoffier's major work, however, left out much of the regional character to be found in the provinces of France. Gastro-tourism and the Guide Michelin helped to bring people to the countryside during the 20th century and beyond, to sample this rich bourgeois and peasant cuisine of France. Basque cuisine has also been a great influence over the cuisine in the southwest of France.

Ingredients and dishes vary by region. There are many significant regional dishes that have become both national and regional. Many dishes that were once regional, however, have proliferated in different variations across the country in the present day. Cheese and wine are also a major part of the cuisine, playing different roles both regionally and nationally with their many variations and Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) (regulated appellation) laws.

National cuisine
French cuisine has evolved extensively over the centuries. Starting in the Middle Ages, a unique and creative national cuisine began forming. Various social movements, political movements, and the work of great chefs came together to create this movement. Through the years the styles of French cuisine have been given different names, and have been codified by various master-chefs. During their lifetimes these chefs have been held in high regard for their contributions to the culture of the country. The national cuisine developed primarily in the city of Paris with the chefs to French royalty, but eventually it spread throughout the country and was even exported overseas.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

How to Taste Olive Oil

Spanish Cuisine

2008-07-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

Spanish cuisine consists of a variety of dishes which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep maritime roots. Spain's extensive history with many cultural influences has led to a unique cuisine with literally thousands of recipes and flavors.

History
Seafood paella. The first introduction of an elephantian product then unknown to ancient Iberia was that of wheat, which was thought to be brought by Iberians from the south of the peninsula. It was brought from Aquitaine in the north of the peninsula, due to the difficulty of transporting from the south. In time, the wheat of Iberia came to be considered to be the best in the Roman Empire, and became one of the main articles of foreign trade.

There are two major diets in the peninsula. One was found in the northwest part of the peninsula, with more animal fats that correspond to the villages in the north. The other could be considered the precursor of the Mediterranean diet and was found in the Iberian part of the peninsula.

Foods found in archaeological excavations include diverse types of legumes, onions, and garlic. The olive was introduced by the Phoenicians. The other major components of a Spanish meal are tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers, all of which were introduced from the Americas after Spanish colonization.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Herbed Olive Oil Rich with the Flavor of Fresh Herbs

Portugese Cuisine

2008-06-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

Portuguese cuisine is characterised by rich, filling and full-flavoured dishes and is a prime example of a Mediterranean diet. The influence of Portugal's former colonial possessions is clear, especially in the wide variety of spices used. These include piri piri (small, fiery chilli peppers), as well as cinnamon, vanilla and saffron. There are also Arab and Moorish influences, especially in the south of the country. Olive oil is one of the bases of Portuguese cuisine both for cooking and flavouring meals. Garlic is widely used, as are herbs such as coriander and parsley.

Breakfast
Portuguese breakfasts often consist of fresh bread, with butter, cheese or fruit preserves accompanied with strong coffee or milk. Sweet pastries are also very popular, as well as breakfast cereals eaten cold and mixed with milk or yoghurt and fruit.

Fish and seafood
Bacalhau à minhota (one of the Portuguese bacalhau dishes)Portugal is a seafaring nation at heart and this is reflected in the amount of fish and seafood eaten. Fish is served grilled, boiled (including poached and simmered), fried or deep-fried, stewed (often in clay pot cooking) or even roasted. Foremost amongst these is bacalhau which means salted cod and is the type of fish most consumed in Portugal. It is said that there are more than 365 ways to cook cod, one for every day of the year. Cod is almost always used dried and salted because the Portuguese fishing tradition in the North Atlantic developed before the invention of refrigeration - therefore it needs to be soaked in water or sometimes milk before cooking. The simpler fish dishes are often flavoured with virgin olive oil and white wine vinegar.

Portugal has been fishing and trading Cod since the 15th century and this Cod trade has almost epic contours. Also popular are sardines (especially when grilled as sardinhas assadas), octopus, squid, cuttlefish, crabs, shrimp and prawns, lobster, spiny lobster, and many other crustaceans such as barnacles and goose barnacles, hake, horse mackerel (scad), lamprey, sea bass, scabbard (especially in Madeira) and a great variety of other fish and shellfish and molluscs, such as clams, mussels, oysters, periwinkles, and scallops. Caldeirada is a stew consisting of a variety of fish and shellfish with potatoes, tomato and onion.

Portuguese Lamprey rice.
Arroz de marisco (seafood rice)Sardines used to be preserved in brine for sale in rural areas. Later, sardine canneries developed all along the Portuguese coast. Ray fish is dried in the sun in Northern Portugal. Canned tuna is widely available in Continental Portugal. Tuna used to be plentiful in the waters of the Algarve. They were trapped in fixed nets when they passed the Portuguese southern coast to spawn in the Mediterranean, and again when they returned to the Atlantic. Portuguese writer Raul Brandão, in his book Os Pescadores has an almost epic description of the catch, as he tells how the tuna is hooked from the raised net into the boats, and how the fishermen would amuse themselves riding the larger fish around the net. Fresh tuna, however, is eaten in Madeira, where tuna steaks are an important item in local cuisine. Canned sardines or tuna, served with boiled potatoes and eggs, constitute a convenient meal when there is not time to prepare anything more elaborate.

Meat and Poultry
Cozido à portuguesaEating meat and poultry on a daily basis was historically a privilege of the upper classes. Meat was a staple at a nobleman's table during the Middle Ages. A Portuguese Renaissance chronicler, Garcia de Resende, describes how an entrée at a royal banquet was composed of a whole roasted ox garnished with a circle of chickens. A common Portuguese dish, mainly eaten in winter, is the cozido à portuguesa, which somewhat parallels the French pot au feu, the Spanish cocido, the New England boiled dinner or the Costa Rican casado. Its composition depends on the cook's imagination and budget. A really lavish cozido may take beef, pork, salt pork, several types of enchidos (such as cured chouriço, morcela and chouriço de sangue, Linguiça, Farinheira, etc.), pig's feet, cured ham, potatoes, carrots, turnips, chickpeas, cabbage and rice. This would be originally a favourite food of the affluent farmer, which later reached the tables of the urban bourgeoisie and typical restaurants.

Francesinha Tripas à moda do Porto, tripe with white beans, is said to have originated in the 14th century, when the Castilians laid siege to Lisbon and blockaded the Tagus entrance. Portuguese chronicler Fernão Lopes dramatically recounts how starvation spread all over the city. Food prices rose astronomically, and small boys would go to the former wheat market place in search of a few grains on the ground, which they would eagerly put in their mouths when found. Old and sick people, as well as prostitutes, in short anybody who would not be able to aid in the city's defense, were sent out to the Castilian camp, only to be returned to Lisbon by the invaders. It was at this point that the citizens of Porto decided to organize a supply fleet that managed to slip through the river blockade. Apparently, since all available meat was sent to the capital, for a while Porto residents were limited to tripe and other organs. Others claim that it was only in 1415 that Porto deprived itself of meat to supply the expedition that conquered the city of Ceuta, in North Africa. Whatever the case may be, since at least the 17th century to our days people from Porto have been known as tripeiros or tripe eaters. In addition, Porto region has a typical sandwich called francesinha. Another Portuguese dish with tripe is Dobrada.

Many other meat dishes are included in Portuguese cuisine. Alcatra, beef marinated in red wine and garlic and then roasted, is a traditional of Terceira Island in the Azores. In continental Portugal, alcatra, an Arabic word meaning piece or bit, refers only to a certain expensive meat cut. Carne de porco à alentejana, fried pork with clams, is a popular dish with a misleading name as it originated in the Algarve, not in Alentejo.

Portuguese chouriçosAlentejo is a vast, agricultural province, with only one sizable fishing port, Sines, and shellfish would not, in the past, reach the inland areas. On the other hand, all points in Algarve are relatively close to the coast and pigs used to be fed with fish. So clams were added to the fried pork to disguise the fishy taste of the meat. Nowadays, however, nobody would dare to call it carne de porco à algarvia. Legend also says that the dish was developed to test Jewish converts' new Christian faith; consisting of pork and shellfish (two non-kosher items), Marranos were expected to eat the dish in public in order to prove their complete detachment from the Jewish faith.

Botelo - The Portuguese steak, bife, is a slice of fried beef or pork served in a wine based sauce with fried potatoes, fried rice, or salad. To add a few more calories to this dish an egg, sunny side up, may be placed on top of the meat, in which case the dish acquires a new name, bife com um ovo a cavalo, steak with an egg on horseback. Iscas, fried liver, were a favourite request in old Lisbon taverns. Sometimes they were called iscas com elas, the elas referring to sautéed potatoes. Small beef or pork steaks in a roll (respectively pregos or bifanas) are popular snacks, often served at beer halls with a large mug of beer. In modern days, however, when time and economy demand their toll, a prego or bifana, eaten at a snack bar counter, may constitute the lunch of a white collar worker. Espetada, a sort of kebab, is very popular in Madeira.

Fried alheira Alheira, a yellowish sausage from Trás-os-Montes, served with fried potatoes and a fried egg, has an interesting story. In the late fifteenth century King Manuel of Portugal ordered all resident Jews to convert to Christianity or leave the country. The King did not really want to expel the Jews, who constituted the economic and professional élite of the kingdom, but was forced to do so by outside pressures. So, when the deadline arrived, he announced that no ships were available for those who refused conversion - the vast majority - and had men, women and children dragged to churches for a forced mass baptism. Obviously, most Jews maintained their religion secretly, but tried to show an image of being good Christians. Since avoiding pork was a tell-tale practice in the eyes of the Inquisition, converts devised a type of sausage that would give the appearance of being made with pork, but really only contained heavily spiced game and chicken. Nowadays, however, tradition has been broken, and pork has been added to the alheiras.

Favas com chouriço - Jewish influence may have determined some other practices in food preparation and eating habits. Different kinds of unleavened bread and cakes, such as the arrufadas de Coimbra, are baked throughout Continental Portugal and the Azores. In the islands, meat is often repeatedly rinsed in water to clean it of any trace of blood. After chickens are killed, they may be hung up upside down, so the blood may be drained, however, paradoxically, it can be used later for cabidela. Blood spilled on the ground is sometimes covered with dirt, as the passage in Leviticus directs Jews to do. Seafood without scales, such as morays, may be shunned in some areas. And, finally, a point is made of slaughtering animals with a very sharp knife, a practice also exhorted by rabbinical law.

Rojões à moda do Minho com arroz de sarrabulho - Poultry, easily raised around a peasant's home, was at first considered quality food. Turkeys were only eaten for Christmas or on special occasions such as wedding receptions or banquets. Up to the nineteen thirties, around Christmas time, the farmers from the outskirts of Lisbon would bring herds of turkeys to the city streets for sale. Before being killed, a stiff dose of brandy was forced down the birds' throats to make the meat more tender and tasty, and hopefully to ensure a happy state of mind when the time would come for the use of a sharp knife. Poor people ate chicken almost only when they were sick. Nowadays mass production in poultry farms makes these meats accessible to all classes. Thus bifes de Peru, turkey steaks, became a recent addition to Portuguese tables.

Cheese
There is a wide variety of Portuguese cheeses, especially made from goat's or sheep's milk, or both together. Usually these are very strong-flavoured and fragrant. In the Azores, there is a type of cheese made with cow's milk with a spicy taste (Queijo de São Jorge). Traditional Portuguese cuisine does not include cheese in its recipes, so it's eaten by itself before or after the main dishes. Other well known cheeses like Queijo de Azeitão, Queijo de Castelo Branco and Queijo da Serra da Estrela (D.O.P.) which is very strong in flavour, can be eaten soft or more matured. Serra da Estrela is handmade from fresh sheep milk and thistle-derived rennet.

Vegetables
Caldo verde - Vegetables that are popular in Portuguese cookery include tomatoes, cabbage, and onions. There are many starchy dishes, such as feijoada, a rich bean stew, and açorda, a thick bread-based casserole generally flavoured with garlic and coriander or seafood. Many dishes are served with salad usually made of tomato, lettuce, and onion flavoured with olive oil and vinegar. Potatoes are also extremely common in Portuguese cuisine, and rice is used more than in any other European cuisine[citation needed]. Soups made from a variety of vegetables are commonly available, one of the most popular being caldo verde, made from moderately thin potato purée, thinly chopped collard greens and slices of chouriço.

Drinks
Portuguese wine - A glass of tawny port. Wine (red, white and green) is the traditional Portuguese drink, Rosé being one of the most popular among foreigners but not very appreciated by Portuguese themselves. Vinho Verde, or green wine, is a specific kind of wine, which can be red, white or rosé, and is only produced in the northwest (Minho province). The term "green wine" does not refer to the colour of the drink but to the fact that this wine needs to be drunk "young". A green wine should be consumed as a new wine while a "maduro" wine usually can be consumed mature. Green wines are only produced in the north of Portugal and are usually slightly sparkling. Portuguese wine is of high quality and in the last years has been considered by specialists among the best in the world. Port wine is a fortified wine of distinct flavour produced in Douro normally served with desserts. Vinho da Madeira, is a regional wine produced in Madeira similar to sherry. From the distillation of grape wastes from wine production is made a variety of brandies (called aguardente, literally "burning water") which are very strong tasting. Typical liqueurs such as Licor Beirão and Ginjinha are very popular alcoholic beverages in Portugal.

Desserts
Rice pudding (arroz doce) in a typical Christmas meal, in Portugal. The Portuguese enjoy rich egg-based desserts. These are often seasoned with spices such as cinnamon and vanilla. Perhaps most popular is leite-creme (a set egg custard). Also popular is arroz doce (a typical and popular rice pudding, a must in Christmas time parties), although aletria (a similar dish this time based upon a kind of vermicelli), is common. These are often decorated with elaborate stencilled patterns of cinnamon powder. Other custards include pudim flan. Cakes and pastries are also very popular. Most towns have a local speciality, usually egg or cream based pastry. Originally from Lisbon, but popular nationwide, as well as among the diaspora, are pastéis de nata. These are small, extremely rich custard tarts. In the south specially in the Algarve region, many recipes include almonds and marzipan.

Influences on world cuisine
Pork vindalho, in a Goan restaurant in Lisbon, Portugal formerly had a large empire, and the cuisine has been influenced in both directions. The Portuguese influence is strongly evident in Brazilian cuisine, which features its own versions of Portuguese dishes such as feijoada and caldeirada (fish stew). Other former colonies include the Indian province of Goa, where dishes such as vindaloo show the Portuguese influence in its pairing of vinegar and garlic.

The typical Portuguese feijoada à transmontana influenced the cuisine of other territories of the former Portuguese Empire, where the feijoada is a main dish. Portuguese trade ships reached Japan in around 1550. Japanese lords enjoyed Portuguese confectionery. It was remodelled as Kompeito and Kasutera, and influenced Wagashi. Tempura was introduced to Japan in the mid-sixteenth century by early Portuguese visitors. The word tempura may be derived from the Portuguese noun tempero, meaning a condiment or seasoning, or from the verb temperar, meaning "to season". Additionally, Portuguese immigrants influenced the cuisine of Hawaii and parts of New England. Portuguese sweet bread or pão doce, malasadas, bean soup (sopa de feijão), and sausages (linguiça, chorizo) are eaten regularly in the Hawaiian islands by families of all ethnicities.

In Australia, variants of 'Portuguese style' chicken, sold principally in fast food outlets, have become extremely popular in the last two decades. Offerings include conventional chicken dishes, as well as a variety of burgers. It would appear that in some cases, such as 'Portuguese chicken sandwiches,' the dishes offered bear only a loose connection to Portuguese cuisine and the connection is made simply as a marketing technique.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive Oil for Life

Palestinian Cuisine

2008-06-20T06:03:00.000-07:00

Palestinian cuisine consists of foods from or commonly eaten by the Arabs of historical Palestine — which includes those living in the Palestinian territories, Israel, refugee camps in nearby countries as well as by Palestinians living abroad. The cuisine is a diffusion of the cultures of civilizations that settled in Palestine, particularly during and after the Islamic era beginning with the Arab Ummayad conquest, then the eventual Persian-influenced Abbasids and ending with the coming of the Ottoman Turks. It is similar to other Levantine cuisines, including Lebanese, Syrian, and Jordanian.

Palestinians eat several times during the day, with lunch being the largest meal. Olive oil is widely used in Palestinian cuisine. Cooking styles vary by region and each type of cooking style and the ingredients used are generally based on the climate and location of the particular region and on traditions. Rice and variations of kibbee are common in the Galilee, the West Bank engages primarily in heavier meals involving the use of taboon bread, rice and meat and Gaza's inhabitants frequent fish, seafood, chili peppers and lentils. Meals are usually eaten in the household but, dining out has become prominent particularly, during parties where light meals like salads, bread dips and skewered meats are served.

The area is also home to many desserts, ranging from those made daily or regularly and those that are commonly reserved for the holidays. Most Palestinian sweets are pastries filled with either sweetened cheeses, dates or various nuts such as almonds, walnuts or pistachios. Beverages could also depend on holidays such as during Ramadan, where carob, tamarind and apricot juices are consumed at daybreak. Coffee is consumed throughout the day and liquor is not very prevalent amongst the population, however, some alcoholic beverages such as arak or beer are frequented by Christians and less conservative Muslims.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Ala Kelly: Italian Olive Oil

Greek Cuisine

2008-06-13T06:12:00.001-07:00

The most characteristic and ancient element of Greek food is olive oil, which is present in almost every dish. It is produced from the trees prominent throughout the region, and adds to the distinctive taste of Greek food. The basic grain in Greece is wheat, though barley is also grown. Important vegetables include tomato, aubergine, potato, green beans, okra, green peppers, and onions. Honey in Greece is mainly flower-honey from the nectar of fruit and citrus trees (lemon, orange, bigarade trees), thyme honey, and pine honey from conifer trees. Mastic is grown on the Aegean island of Chios.

Greek cuisine uses some flavourings more often than other Mediterranean cuisines do: oregano rigani, mint dhiosmo, garlic, onion, dill, salt, and bay laurel leaves. Other common herbs and spices include basil, thyme and fennel seed. Many Greek recipes, especially in the northern parts of the country, use "sweet" spices in combination with meat, for example cinnamon and cloves in stews. Greek flavour is often characterised by the use of mint and nutmeg. Other typical ingredients are lamb, pork, kalamata olives, feta cheese, grape leaves, zucchini and yogurt. The desserts are dominated by nuts and honey.

The terrain has tended to favour the breeding of goats and sheep over cattle, and thus beef dishes are more rare. Fish dishes are also common, especially in coastal regions and on the islands. A great variety of cheese types are used in Greek cuisine, including Feta, Kasseri, Kefalotyri, Graviera, Anthotyros, Manouri, Metsovone and Mizithra. Some dishes use phyllo pastry.

Too much refinement is generally considered to be against the hearty spirit of the Greek cuisine, though recent trends among Greek culinary circles tend to favour a somewhat more refined approach. Typical Greek food is simple, colorful and packed with robust flavours. Many dishes show influences from the Greek past, having a distinctive style of their own which has not changed much over the years. Greek cuisine has a long tradition of fine cooking and the full range of Greek dishes usually remains undiscovered by the tourist.

Origins
Dolmathes, the famous stuffed grapevine leavesContemporary Greek cookery is typical of Mediterranean cuisine, making wide use of olive oil, grains and bread, wine, fish, and various meats, including poultry and rabbit. Greece has an ancient culinary tradition dating back several millennia, and over the centuries Greek cuisine has evolved and absorbed numerous influences and influenced many cuisines.

Legend has it that Klephtico (or Kleftiko) slow cooked lamb (or other meat) can be translated as 'stolen meat'. The Klephts, not having flocks of their own, would steal lambs or goats and cook the meat in a sealed pit to avoid the smoke being seen.

Some dishes can be traced back to ancient Greece: trahanas, skordalia, lentil soup, retsina, pasteli; some to the Hellenistic and Roman periods: loukaniko; and Byzantium: feta cheese, avgotaraho, paximadi. There are also many ancient and Byzantine preparations which are no longer consumed: porridge as the main staple, fish sauce nuc mam, salt water mixed into wine, etc.

Many dishes' names come from the Ottoman cuisine tradition and their names reveal Arabic, Persian or Turkish roots such as moussakas, baklavas, tzatziki, yuvarelakia, keftethes. Many dishes' names probably entered the Greek vocabulary during Ottoman times, but there was earlier contact with the Persians and the Arabs. Some dishes may be pre-Ottoman, only taking Turkish names later; Ash and Dalby, for example, speculate that grape-leaf dolmathes were made by the early Byzantine period.

A few dishes are influenced by Venetian (Italian) cuisine, such as pastitsio, makaronia me kima, though pasta with meat together is considered in culinary circles as an "eastern" tradition, found mostly in Greece and Anatolia and Asia Minor and regions of that influence.

Recently, fast-food has also become more popular in Greece and Europe, with local chains such as Goody's springing up. Although fast food is gaining popularity and many major fast-food chains have opened all over Greece, the Greek people still rely primarily on the rich and extensive dishes of the Greek cuisine. In addition, some traditional Greek foods, especially souvlaki, gyros, pita/pites, for example tiropita and spanakopita (savory or sweet stuffed phyllo dough) are often served in fast food style.

Dining out has always been common in Greece. The Taverna and Estiatorio are widespread, serving traditional Greek home cooking at affordable prices to both locals and tourists.

Typical dishes
As mentioned above, Greek cuisine is very diverse and although there are many common characteristics amongst the culinary traditions of different regions within the country, there are also many differences, making it difficult to present a full list of representative dishes. Just to give an example, the vegetarian dish " Haniotiko Mpoureki" (oven baked slices of potatoes with zucchini, myzithra cheese and mint) is a typical dish in the region of Chania (western Crete), which a family may consume 1-2 times per week in the summer season. However, it is not cooked in any other region of Greece.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

SIMON LEACH - handling & finishing the olive oil jar

Lebanese Cuisine

2008-06-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

Lebanese Cuisine (or foods from Lebanon) consists of a variety of fresh vegetarian recipes, salads and stews all seasoned with a flavorsome combination of herbs and spices. One of the most world known Lebanese specialties is called the Maza, also written "Mezze", which is a selection of appetisers: olives, cheeses, Labanee, or small portions also known as muqabbilat (starters).

The food of Lebanon is the epitome of the Mediterranean diet. It includes an abundance of starches, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood; animal fats are consumed sparingly. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten it is usually lamb. It also includes copious amounts of garlic and olive oil, often seasoned by lemon juice. No a meal goes by in Lebanon that does not include these ingredients. Most often foods are either grilled, baked or sautéed in olive oil; butter or cream is rarely used other than in a few desserts. Vegetables are often eaten raw or pickled as well as cooked. While the cuisine of Lebanon doesn't boast an entire repertoire of sauces, it focuses on herbs, spices and the freshness of ingredients; the assortment of dishes and combinations are almost limitless. The meals are full of robust, earthy flavors and, like most Mediterranean countries, much of what the Lebanese eat is dictated by the seasons.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive Oil to Boost Metabolism and Reverse Aging?

Italian Cuisine

2008-05-30T06:24:00.000-07:00

Italian cuisine as a national cuisine known today has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Its roots can be traced back to the 4th century BC. The cuisine changed significantly with discovery of the New World which helped shape much of what is known as Italian cuisine today with the introduction of items such as potatoes, tomatoes, bell pepper and maize, which are all central parts of the cuisine but were not introduced in scale until the 18th century. Olive oil is a key ingredient in Italian cuisine, as are olives.

Ingredients and dishes vary by region. There are many significant regional dishes that have become both national and regional. Many dishes that were once regional, however, have proliferated in different variations across the country in the present day. Cheese and wine are also a major part of the cuisine, playing different roles both regionally and nationally with their many variations and Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) (regulated appellation) laws. Coffee, and more specifically espresso, has become highly important to the cultural cuisine of Italy.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Andalucian Girl Olive Oil Harvest and Production

Mediterranean Cuisine

2008-05-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

Mediterranean cuisine is the food of the areas around the Mediterranean Sea.

The idea of the "standard Mediterranean diet" is a modern construction of food writers and publicists in Western Europe and North America earnestly preaching what is now thought to be a healthy diet to their audiences by invoking a stereotype of the healthy other on the shores of the Mediterranean. Their colleagues in Mediterranean countries are only too willing to perpetuate this myth. The fact of the matter is that the Mediterranean contains varied cultures.

Around 1975, under the impulse of one of those new nutritional directives by which good cooking is too often influenced, the Americans discovered the so-called Mediterranean diet. The name even pleased Italian government officials, who made one modification: changing from diet—a word which has always seemed punitive and therefore unpleasant—to Mediterranean cuisine.

Given the geography, these nation-states have influenced each other over time and the cooking evolved into sharing common principles. Mediterranean cuisine is characterized by its flexibility, its range of ingredients and its many regional variations. The terrain has tended to favour the raising of goats and sheep.

Fish dishes are also common, although today much of the fish is imported since the fisheries of the Mediterranean Sea are weak. Seafood is still prominent in many of the standard recipes.

Olive oil, produced from the olive trees prominent throughout Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain and other Mediterranean nations, adds to the distinctive taste of the food.

It is believed that ingredients in this kind of cooking, especially olive oil, are a major contributor to the longevity of the Mediterranean people.

Barbecue or grilled meats, pita bread, hummus, and falafel are very popular forms of the eastern type of the cuisine.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Mr. Chatterbox Swims in Olive Oil

Olive Leaf

2008-05-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

Olive leaf is the leaf of the olive tree (Olea europaea). While olive oil is well known for its flavor and health benefits, the leaf has been used medicinally in various times and places. Natural olive leaf and olive leaf extracts (OLE), are now marketed as anti-aging, immunostimulators, and even antibiotics without any proof of efficacy.

History
Olive leaf extract is derived from the leaves of the olive tree. Recorded use of olive leaf's medicinal use spans back for thousands of years: it was used by ancient Egyptian and Mediterranean cultures to treat a variety of health conditions. Olive leaf is the first botanical cited in the Bible (Ezekiel 47:12) as a natural healer: "The fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."

Active compounds
The primary medicinal constituents contained in unprocessed olive leaf is believed to be the antioxidant oleuropein and Hydroxytyrosol, as well as several flavonoids including Oleocanthal. Both Mission and Manzanillo olive trees are most commonly cited for medical use, as other varieties of olive tree are better suited for olives and olive oil production.

Nutritional and medicinal uses
Olive leaf and extracts are utilized in the complementary and alternative medicine community for its ability to act as a natural pathogens killer by inhibiting the replication process of many pathogens. More specifically, it disables infections long enough for the immune system to eliminate them and prevent pathogens from spreading.

Olive leaf is commonly used to fight colds and flu, yeast infections, and viral infections such as the hard-to-treat Epstein-Barr disease, shingles and herpes. Olive leaf is also good for the heart. Olive leaf has shown to reduce low-density lipoproteins (LDL), or bad cholesterol. Researchers have found that olive leaf lowers blood pressure and increase blood flow by relaxing the arteries.

Olive leaf harbors antioxidant properties that help protect the body from the continuous onslaught of free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive chemical substances that, when oxidized, can cause cellular damage if left unchecked. Some recent research on the olive leaf has shown it’s antioxidants to be effective in treating some tumors and cancers such as liver and breast cancer but the research on this is preliminary.

Olive leaf can be taken in powder, liquid extract or capsule form.

Soaps and cosmetics
Olive leaf extracts are combined with olive oil in soaps and skin creams for topical use.

Olive leaf tea
To prepare olive leaf tea, a large teaspoon (approx. 10g) dried olive leaf is placed in a tea ball or herb sack and dropped into two quarts boiling water. The heat is immediately reduced to a medium simmer and the tea let brewed in a covered pot for three to ten minutes with occasional stirring. Tea should be a medium amber color.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

How to Make an Italian Panzanella Salad : How to Add Olive Oil to Italian Panzanella

Mediterranean Diet

2008-05-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

The Mediterranean diet is a modern nutritional model originally inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of some of the countries of the Mediterranean Basin. The most commonly-understood version of the Mediterranean diet was presented by Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard University's School of Public Health in the mid-1990s. Based on "food patterns typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and southern Italy in the early 1960s," this diet, in addition to "regular physical activity" (e.g. farm labor), emphasizes "abundant plant foods, fresh fruit as the typical daily dessert, olive oil as the principal source of fat, dairy products (principally cheese and yogurt), and fish and poultry consumed in low to moderate amounts, zero to four eggs consumed weekly, red meat consumed in low amounts, and wine consumed in low to moderate amounts". Total fat in this diet is "< 25% to > 35%" of calories, with saturated fat at 8% or less of calories.[3] The diet is often cited as beneficial for being low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber.

Although it was first publicized in 1945 by the American doctor Ancel Keys stationed in Salerno, Italy, the Mediterranean diet failed to gain widespread recognition until the 1990s. It is based on what from the point of view of mainstream nutrition is considered a paradox: that although the people living in Mediterranean countries tend to consume relatively high amounts of fat, they have far lower rates of cardiovascular disease than in countries like the United States, where similar levels of fat consumption are found. A parallel phenomenon is known as the French Paradox.

One of the main explanations is thought to be the large amount of olive oil used in the Mediterranean diet. Unlike the high amount of animal fats typical to the American diet, olive oil lowers cholesterol levels in the blood. It is also known to lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Research indicates olive oil prevents peptic ulcers and is effective in treatment of peptic ulcer disease, and may be a factor in preventing cancer. In addition, the consumption of red wine is considered a possible factor, as it contains flavonoids with powerful antioxidant properties.

Michael Pollan in his book "In Defense of Food" suggests the explanation is not any particular nutrient, but the combination of nutrients found in unprocessed food.

Dietary factors may be only part of the reason for the health benefits enjoyed by these cultures. Genetics, lifestyle (notably heavy physical labor), and environment may also be involved.

Although green vegetables, a good source of calcium and iron, as well as goat cheese, a good source of calcium, are common in the Mediterranean diet, concerns remain whether the diet provides adequate amounts of all nutrients, particularly calcium and iron.

This diet is not typical of all Mediterranean cuisine. In central Italy, for instance, lard and butter are commonly used in cooking, and olive oil is reserved for dressing salads and cooked vegetables. In North Africa, wine was traditionally not consumed by Muslims. In both North Africa and the Levant, along with olive oil, sheep's tail fat and rendered butter (samna) are traditional staple fats.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Jami at Home with Olive Oil

Olive Oil - Religious Uses

2008-05-02T06:18:00.001-07:00

In Jewish observance, olive oil is the only fuel allowed to be used in the seven-branched Menorah (not a candelabrum since the use of candles was not allowed) in the Mishkan service during the Exodus of the tribes of Israel from Egypt, and later in the permanent Temple in Jerusalem. It was obtained by using only the first drop from a squeezed olive and was consecrated for use only in the Temple by the priests, which is where the expression pure olive oil originates, stored in special containers. A copy of the Menorah is now used during the holiday of Hanukkah that celebrates the miracle of the last of such containers being found during the re-dedication of the Temple (163 BC), when its contents lasted for far longer then they were expected to, allowing more time for more oil to be made. Although candles can be used to light the Hanukkiah, oil containers are preferred, to imitate the original Menorah. Another use of oil in Jewish religion is for anointing the kings of the Kingdom of Israel, originating from King David. Tzidkiyahu was the last anointed King of Israel. One unusual use of olive oil in the Talmud is for bad breath, by creating a water-oil-salt mouthwash.

Olive oil also has religious symbolism for healing and strength and to consecration — God's setting a person or place apart for special work. This may be related to its ancient use as a medicinal agent and for cleansing athletes by slathering them in oil then scraping them. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches use olive oil for the Oil of Catechumens (used to bless and strengthen those preparing for Baptism) and Oil of the Sick (used to confer the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick). Olive oil mixed with a perfuming agent like balsam is consecrated by bishops as Sacred Chrism, which is used to confer the sacrament of Confirmation (as a symbol of the strengthening of the Holy Spirit), in the rites of Baptism and the ordination of priests and bishops, in the consecration of altars and churches, and, traditionally, in the anointing of monarchs at their coronation. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and a number of other religions use olive oil when they need to consecrate an oil for anointings.

Eastern Orthodox Christians still use oil lamps in their churches and home prayer corners. A vigil lamp consists of a votive glass containing a half-inch of water and filled the rest with olive oil. The glass has a metal holder that hangs from a bracket on the wall or sits on a table. A cork float with lit a wick floats on the oil. To douse the flame, the float is carefully pressed down into the oil.

In Islam, olive oil is mentioned in the Quranic verse: "God is the light of heavens and earth. An example of His light is like a lantern inside which there is a tourch, the tourch is in a glass bulb, the glass bulb is like a bright planet lit by a blessed olive tree, neither Eastern nor Western, its oil almost glows, even without fire touching it, light upon light." The Qur’an also mentions olives as a sacred plant: "By the fig and the olive, and the Mount of Sinai, and this secure city."[2] Olive oil is also reported to have been recommended by the Muslim Prophet Muhammad in the following terms: "Consume olive oil and anoint it upon your bodies since it is of the blessed tree." He also stated that it cures 70 diseases.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

How to Cook BBQ Shrimp : Adding Olive Oil, Lemon, & Beer

Olive Oil - Eastern Mediterranean

2008-04-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

Over 5,000 years ago oil was being extracted from olives in the Eastern Mediterranean. In the centuries that followed, olive presses became common, from the Atlantic shore of North Africa to Persia and from the Po Valley to the settlements along the Nile.

Olive trees and oil production in the Eastern Mediterranean can be traced to archives of the ancient city-state Ebla (2600–2240 BC), which were located on the outskirts of the Syrian city Aleppo. Here some dozen documents dated 2400 BC describe lands of the king and the queen. These belonged to a library of clay tablets perfectly preserved by having been baked in the fire that destroyed the palace. A later source is the frequent mentions of oil in Tanakh.

Dynastic Egyptians before 2000 BC imported olive oil from Crete, Syria and Canaan and oil was an important item of commerce and wealth. Remains of olive oil have been found in jugs over 4,000 years old in a tomb on the island of Naxos in the Aegean Sea. Sinuhe, the Egyptian exile who lived in northern Canaan about 1960 BC, wrote of abundant olive trees.

Until 1500 BC, the eastern coastal areas of the Mediterranean were most heavily cultivated. Olive trees were certainly cultivated by the Late Minoan period (1500 BC) in Crete, and perhaps as early as the Early Minoan. The cultivation of olive trees in Crete became particularly intense in the post-palatial period and played an important role in the island's economy. The Minoans used olive oil in religious ceremonies. The oil became a principal product of the Minoan civilization, where it is thought to have represented wealth. The Minoans put the pulp into settling tanks and, when the oil had risen to the top, drained the water from the bottom.[citation needed]. Olive tree growing reached Iberia and Etruscan cities well before the 8th century BC through trade with the Phoenicians and Carthage, then spread into Southern Gaul by the Celtic tribes during the 7th century BC.

The first recorded oil extraction is known from the Hebrew Bible and took place during the Exodus from Egypt, during the 13th century BC. During this time, the oil was derived through hand-squeezing the berries and stored in special containers under guard of the priests. A commercial mill for non-sacramental use of oil was in use in the tribal Confederation and later the Kingdom of Israel c. 1000 BC. Over 100 olive presses have been found in Tel Miqne (Ekron), where the Biblical Philistines also produced oil. These presses are estimated to have had output of between 1,000 and 3,000 tons of olive oil per season.

Olive trees were planted in the entire Mediterranean basin during evolution of the Roman republic and empire. According to the historian Pliny, Italy had "excellent olive oil at reasonable prices" by the first century AD, "the best in the Mediterranean", he maintained, a claim probably disputed by many ancient olive growers. Thus olive oil was very common in Hellene and Latin cuisine. According to legend, the city of Athens obtained its name because Athenians considered olive oil essential, preferring the offering of the goddess Athena (an olive tree) over the offering of Poseidon (a spring of salt water gushing out of a cliff).

The Spartans were the Hellenes who used oil to rub themselves while exercising in the gymnasia. The practice served to eroticise and highlight the beauty of the male body. From its beginnings early in the seventh century BC, the decorative use of olive oil quickly spread to all of Hellenic city states, together with naked appearance of athletes, and lasted close to a thousand years despite its great expense.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Maltodextrin and Olive Oil Powder

Olive Oil - History

2008-04-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

Homer called it "liquid gold." In ancient Greece, athletes ritually rubbed it all over their body. Olive oil has been more than mere food to the peoples of the Mediterranean: it has been medicinal, magical, an endless source of fascination and wonder and the fountain of great wealth and power.

Besides food, olive oil has been used for religious rituals, medicines, as a fuel in oil lamps, soap-making, and skin care application. The importance and antiquity of olive oil can be seen in the fact that the English word oil derives from c. 1175, olive oil, from Anglo-Fr. and O.N.Fr. olie, from O.Fr. oile (12c., Mod.Fr. huile), from L. oleum "oil, olive oil" (cf. It. olio), from Gk. elaion "olive tree", which may have been borrowed through trade networks from the Semitic Phoenician use of el'yon meaning "superior", probably in recognized comparison to other vegetable or animal fats available at the time.

The olive tree is native to the Mediterranean basin; wild olives were collected by Neolithic peoples as early as the 8th millennium BC. The wild olive tree originated in Asia Minor which is now called Anatolia, the modern nation of Turkey.

It is not clear when and where olive trees were first domesticated: in Asia Minor in the 6th millennium; along the Levantine coast stretching from the Sinai Peninsula to modern Turkey in the 4th millennium; or somewhere in the Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent in the 3rd millennium.

A widespread view exists that the first cultivation took place on the island of Crete. The earliest surviving olive oil amphorae date to 3500 BC (Early Minoan times), though the production of olive is assumed to have started before 4000 BC. An alternative view retains that olives were turned into oil by 4500 BC by Canaanites in present-day Israel.

Ancient oil press
Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology, Bodrum, TurkeyRecent genetic studies suggest that species used by modern cultivators descend from multiple wild populations, but a detailed history of domestication is not yet understood.

Many ancient presses still exist in the Eastern Mediterranean region, and some dating to the Roman period are still in use today.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Mr. Chatterbox Swims in Olive Oil

Olive Oil - Medicinal Use

2008-04-11T07:20:00.000-07:00

Olive oil is unlikely to cause allergic reactions, and as such is used in preparations for lipophilic drug ingredients. It does have demulcent properties, and mild laxative properties, acting as a stool softener. It is also used at room temperature as an ear wax softener. Olive oil is also a potent blocker of intestinal contractions, and can be used to treat excessive Borborygmus.

Oleocanthal from olive oil is a non-selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase (COX) similar to classical NSAIDs like ibuprofen. It has been suggested that long-term consumption of small quantities of this compound from olive oil may be responsible in part for the low incidence of heart disease associated with a Mediterranean diet.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

How to Shave with Olive Oil

Olive Oil - Human Health

2008-04-04T07:26:00.001-07:00

Evidence from epidemiological studies suggests that a higher proportion of monounsaturated fats in the diet is linked with a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease. This is significant because olive oil is considerably rich in monounsaturated fats, most notably oleic acid.

In the United States, producers of olive oil may place the following health claim on product labels:

Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about two tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.

This decision was announced November 1, 2004, by the Food and Drug Administration after application was made to the FDA by producers. Similar labels are permitted for foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as walnuts.

There is a large body of clinical data to show that consumption of olive oil can provide heart health benefits such as favourable effects on cholesterol regulation and LDL cholesterol oxidation, and that it exerts antiinflamatory, antithrombotic, antihypertensive as well as vasodilatory effects both in animals and in humans.

But some clinical evidence suggests that it is olive oil's phenolic content, rather than its fatty acid profile, that is responsible for at least some of its cardioprotective benefits. For example, a clinical trial published in 2005 compared the effects of different types of olive oil on arterial elasticity. Test subjects were given a serving of 60 grams of white bread and 40 milliliters of olive oil each morning for two consecutive days. The study was conducted in two stages. During the first stage, the subjects received polyphenol-rich oil (extra virgin oil contains the highest amount of polyphenol antioxidants). During the second phase, they received oil with only one fifth the phenolic content. The elasticity of the arterial walls of each subject was measured using a pressure sleeve and a Doppler laser. It was discovered that after the subjects had consumed olive oil high in polyphenol antioxidants, they exhibited increased arterial elasticity, while after the consumption of olive oil containing fewer polyphenols, they displayed no significant change in arterial elasticity. It is theorized that, in the long term, increased elasticity of arterial walls reduces vascular stress and consequentially the risk of two common causes of death—heart attacks and stroke. This could, at least in part, explain the lower incidence of both diseases in regions where olive oil and olives are consumed on a daily basis.

In addition to the internal health benefits of olive oil, topical application is quite popular with fans of natural health remedies. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the preferred grade for moisturizing the skin, especially when used in the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM). OCM is a method of cleansing and moisturizing the face with a mixture of extra virgin olive oil, castor oil (or another suitable carrier oil) and a select blend of essential oils.

Jeanne Calment, who holds the record for the longest confirmed lifespan, reportedly attributed her longevity and relatively youthful appearance to olive oil, which she said she poured on all her food and rubbed into her skin.

However, some of these benefits are disputed. Several scientific studies doubt some of the previously stated positive effects and state several negative effects of olive oil such as impairment of the dilation of the arteries.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Gall Bladder Liver Flush Olive Oil Mixture

Olive Oil - Constituents

2008-03-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

Olive oil is composed mainly of oleic acid and palmitic acid and other fatty acids, along with traces of squalene (up to 0.7%) and sterols (about 0.2% phytosterol and tocosterols).

Olive oil contains a group of related natural products with potent antioxidant properties which give extra-virgin unprocessed olive oil its bitter and pungent taste and which are esters of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, including oleocanthal and oleuropein.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive Oil Tasting at the Italian School of Cooking in Dublin

Olive Oil - Extraction

2008-03-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

The most traditional way of making olive oil is by grinding olives. Green olives produce bitter oil, and overly ripened olives produce rancid oil, so care is taken to make sure the olives are perfectly ripened. First the olives are ground into an olive paste using large millstones. The olive paste generally stays under the stones for 30–40 minutes. The oil collected during this part of the process is called virgin oil. After grinding, the olive paste is spread on fibre disks, which are stacked on top of each other, then placed into the press. Pressure is then applied onto the disk to further separate the oil from the paste. This second step produces a lower grade of oil.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive Oil - Druze Village

Olive Oil - Global Consumption

2008-03-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

Greece has by far the heaviest per capita consumption of olive oil worldwide, over 26liters per year; Spain and Italy, around 14 L; Tunisia, Portugal and Syria, around 8 L. Northern Europe and North America consume far less, around 0.7 L, but the consumption of olive oil outside its home territory has been rising steadily.

Price is an important factor on olive oil consumption in the world commodity market. In 1997, global production rose by 47%, which replenished low stocks, lowered prices, and increased consumption by 27%. Overall, world consumption trends are up by 2.5%. Production trends are also up due to expanded plantings of olives in Europe, Latin America, the USA, and Australia.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Tips on How to Make Pasta Sauce: Olive Oil

Olive Oil - Label Wording

2008-03-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

Olive oil vendors choose the wording on their labels very carefully.

"100% Pure Olive Oil" is often the lowest quality available in a retail store: better grades would have "virgin" on the label.

"Made from refined olive oils" suggests that the essence was captured, but in fact means that the taste and acidity were chemically produced.

"Light olive oil" actually means refined olive oil, not a lower fat content. All olive oil has 120 calories per tablespoon (34 J/ml).

"From hand-picked olives" may indicate that the oil is of better quality, since producers harvesting olives by mechanical methods are inclined to leave olives to over-ripen in order to increase yield.

"First cold press" means that the oil in bottles with this label is the first oil that came from the first press of the olives. The word cold is important because if heat is used, the olive oil's chemistry is changed.

"Bottled in Italy" or "Packed in Italy" does not necessarily mean that the olive oil originated in Italy. Back or side labels indicate the origin of the olive oil which is often a mixture of oils from several nations.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive Oil for Health

Olive Oil - Retail Grades

2008-02-29T07:02:00.000-08:00

Retail grades in IOOC member nations

As IOOC standards are complex, the labels in stores (except in the U.S.) clearly show an oil's grade:

Extra-virgin olive oil comes from cold pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil.

Virgin olive oil has an acidity less than 2%, and judged to have a good taste. There can be no refined oil in virgin olive oil.

Pure olive oil. Oils labeled as Pure olive oil or Olive oil are usually a blend of refined olive oil and one of the above two categories of virgin olive oil.

Olive oil is a blend of virgin oil and refined oil, containing no more than 1.5% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.

Olive-pomace oil is a blend of refined pomace olive oil and possibly some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but it may not be called olive oil. Olive-pomace oil is rarely found in a grocery store; it is often used for certain kinds of cooking in restaurants.

Lampante oil is olive oil not used for consumption; lampante comes from olive oil's ancient use as fuel in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive Oil Processing Under Way in Oroville

Olive Oil - Industrial Grades

2008-02-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

The several oils extracted from the olive fruit can be classified as:

Virgin means the oil was produced by the use of physical means and no chemical treatment. The term virgin oil referring to production is different from Virgin Oil on a retail label (see next section).

Refined means that the oil has been chemically treated to neutralize strong tastes (characterized as defects) and neutralize the acid content (free fatty acids). Refined oil is commonly regarded as lower quality than virgin oil; the retail labels extra-virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil cannot contain any refined oil.
Pomace olive oil means oil extracted from the pomace using chemical solvents—mostly hexane—and by heat.

Quantitative analysis can determine the oil's acidity, defined as the percent, measured by weight, of free oleic acid it contains. This is a measure of the oil's chemical degradation; as the oil degrades, more fatty acids are freed from the glycerides, increasing the level of free acidity and thereby increasing rancidity. Another measure of the oil's chemical degradation is the organic peroxide level, which measures the degree to which the oil is oxidized, another cause of rancidity.

In order to classify it by taste, olive oil is subjectively judged by a panel of professional tasters in a blind taste test. This is also called its organoleptic quality.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Featured Video:
Olive Oil Injection of a Turkey

Olive Oil - Regulation

2008-02-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

The International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) is an intergovernmental organization based in Madrid, Spain, with 23 member states. It promotes olive oil around the world by tracking production, defining quality standards, and monitoring authenticity. More than 85% of the world's olives are grown in IOOC member nations.

The United States is not a member of the IOOC, and the US Department of Agriculture does not legally recognize its classifications (such as extra-virgin olive oil). The USDA uses a different system, which it defined in 1948 before the IOOC existed. The California Olive Oil Council, a private trade group, is petitioning the USDA to adopt IOOC rules.

The IOOC officially governs 95% of international production and holds great influence over the rest. IOOC terminology is precise, but it can lead to confusion between the words that describe production and the words used on retail labels. Olive oil is classified by how it was produced, by its chemistry, and by its flavor. All production begins by transforming the olive fruit into olive paste. This paste is then malaxed to allow the microscopic oil droplets to concentrate. The oil is extracted by means of pressure (traditional method) or centrifugation (modern method). After extraction the remnant solid substance, called pomace, still contains a small quantity of oil.

According to an article by Tom Mueller in the August 13, 2007 Issue of the The New Yorker, regulation is extremely lax and corrupt. Meuller states that major Italian shippers routinely adulterate olive oil and that only about 40% of olive oil sold as "extra-virgin" actually meets requirements.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

How to Taste Extra-virgin Olive Oil

Olive Oil - Market

2008-02-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

Over 750 million olive trees are cultivated worldwide, about 95% of those in the Mediterranean region. Most of global production comes from Southern Europe, North Africa and Middle East. Of the European production, 93% comes from Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Greece. Spain's production alone accounts for 40% to 45% of world production, which was 2.6 million metric tons in 2002. In 2006 Turkey accounted for over 25% of world production, this figure is similar to the province of Jaen production alone, in Spain, well known as the biggest olive groves in the world.

In olive oil-producing countries, the local production is generally considered the finest. In North America, Italian and Spanish olive oils are the best-known, and top-quality extra-virgin oils from Italy, Spain and Greece are sold at high prices, often in "prestige" packaging.

Greece devotes 60% of its cultivated land to olive growing. It is the world's top producer of black olives and boasts more varieties of olives than any other country. Greece holds third place in world olive production with more than 132 million trees, which produce approximately 350,000 tons of olive oil annually, of which 82% is extra-virgin. About half of the annual Greek olive oil production is exported, but only some 5% of this quantity reflects the origin of the bottled product. Greek exports primarily target European Union (EU) countries, the main recipient being Italy, which receives about three-quarters of total exports. Olives are grown for oil in mainland Greece, with Peloponnese being the source of 65% of Greek production, as well as in Crete, the Aegean Islands and Ionian Islands.

The EU regulates the use of different protected designation of origin labels for olive oils in accordance with EU law. Among the many different olive varieties used in Italy are Frantoio, Leccino Pendolino, and Moraiolo. In Spain the most important varieties are the Picual, Alberquina, Hojiblanca, and Manzanillo de Jaén. Demand for olive oil has soared in the United States. In 1994, exports to the US totaled 28.95 million gallons, a 215% increase from 1984. The US is Italy's biggest customer, absorbing 22% of total Italian production of 131.6 million gallons in 1994. Despite shrinkage in production, Italian exports of olive oil rose by 19.2% from 1994 to 1995. A large share of the imports went from the EU, especially Spain.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

The Health Benefits of Olive Oil

Olive Oil

2008-02-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

Olive oil is a fruit oil obtained from the olive (Olea europaea; family Oleaceae along with lilacs, jasmine and ash trees), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps. Olive oil is healthier than other sources of alimentary fat because of its high content of monounsaturated fat (mainly oleic acid) and polyphenols.

The most traditional way of making olive oil is by grinding olives. Green olives produce bitter oil, and overly ripened olives produce rancid oil, so care is taken to make sure the olives are perfectly ripened. First the olives are ground into an olive paste using large millstones. The olive paste generally stays under the stones for 30–40 minutes. The oil collected during this part of the process is called virgin oil. After grinding, the olive paste is spread on fibre disks, which are stacked on top of each other, then placed into the press. Pressure is then applied onto the disk to further separate the oil from the paste. This second step produces a lower grade of oil.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Olive Oil Factory in Crete

California Olives FAQ

2008-01-25T07:31:00.000-08:00

Are olive trees native to California?

No. Olive trees originated in Asia Minor, spreading about 6,000 years ago from Iran, Syria and Palestine to the rest of the Mediterranean region. Records show that in the mid-1500s, olive tree cuttings were taken by the Spaniards to Peru. In the 1700s, Franciscan monks brought olives to Mexico and northward as they established the California mission system. The first recorded planting of an olive tree in California was in 1769 at Mission San Diego de Alcala.

How old is the California olive industry?

Commercial olive farming in California began in the late 1800s, primarily in the valleys of Central and Northern California. Those early olive crops went into olive-oil production but, in the early 1900s, the industry shifted, as canning technology resulted in higher returns for table olives than for oil. Today, 90 percent of California's olive production is for canned olives, with only 10 percent crushed for oil. This is just the opposite of Spain, the world's leading olive producer, which grows 90 percent of its olive crop for oil and only 10 percent for cured olive products.

How big is the California olive industry?

California is the only state in the nation producing a commercially significant crop of olives. Approximately 70 to 80 percent of the ripe olives consumed in the United States come from California. While the olive is an important specialty crop for California, the state's olive industry is dwarfed by that of Spain. For example, a 2002 Census of Agriculture indicated that California had 39,591 acres of olives grown on 1,549 farms, while Spain had more than 5.6 million acres of olives grown by 571,150 producers.

During the past 25 years, health-conscious consumers have led a revival in olive oil as a flavorful alternative to vegetable oils. Demand for olive oil has doubled during the past 10 years. California now produces about 400,000 gallons of olive oil annually.

The development in recent years of new tree varieties that can be efficiently machine-harvested has also led to large new plantings of olive trees. Industry experts forecast that California's volume of olive oil will increase by 500 percent in the next five years.

Which are the leading olive-producing counties in California?

The top olive-producing counties in California are Tulare, Tehama and Glenn counties.

What olive varieties are grown in California?

California farmers grow dozens of different olive types. The five most important California table-olive varieties are the Manzanillo, Sevillano, Mission, Ascolano and Barouni. The Manzanillo represents the most acreage, while the Sevillano and Ascolano are valued for their larger olive size. Olive-oil producers have planted large numbers of the Arbequina, Arbosana, Koroneiki, Frantoio, Mission, Manzanillo and Leccino varieties.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Now, for a little fun! Here is an hilarious Mad TV parody of an Olive Garden commercial!

Olives in Mythology

2008-01-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

According to Greek mythology, the goddess Athena brought the olive tree to the Greeks: after the construction of the most beautiful Greek city, the Greeks apparently sought a name for it and decided that the patron god of the city would be the one offering the best possible gift, in the image of the most sumptuous of Greek cities.

Apparently, Athena struck her spear in the ground and it turned into an olive tree. The Greeks loved the fruit of this tree to such a point that the newly built city was named Athens. If you visit the city today, Athena's olive tree is still there to be seen.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Chabad Rabbi Yitzchok Gurevitz Presses Olives

The History of Olives

2008-01-11T08:31:00.001-08:00

The olive tree symbolizes peace and wisdom all over the world. It is more than 14,000 years old. It is part of the oleaceous fruit family—like the ash or the lilac. The first signs of the wild olive tree date back to more than 14,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Archaeological digs have prompted some historians to believe that the culture of the olive dates back 5000 to 3000 years, before our era, in Crete.

In ancient times the tree was already considered holy.

The olive is also the primary fruit associated with the oldest culinary tradition—the Mediterranean culinary tradition. Throughout the history of the Mediterranean, it is mentioned in countless works of Greek literature.

The dove that flew from Noah's Ark to scout the land returned with a fresh olive branch in its beak, confirming that the water had drawn back from the surface of the Earth. The olive tree was the first tree to grow after the flood.

Olive-growing and the extraction of olive oil have been traced back to Crete, at the time of King Minos. The oldest document relating to it was written on clay tablets 2500 years BC. References were made to the various types of olive oil, the transport of it, and its many uses.

The extension of olive tree cultivation to the Bronze Age improved the diet of the Greeks. It was also burned as a source of light. The olive tree had become a fundamental part of Greek civilisation. When the Greeks founded cities on the Mediterranean rim in the 7th and 8th century BC, they brought with them a taste for this developing culture. That is how the olive trees spread to Italy, France, especially to Provence through the Phoenicians who founded Marseilles in 600 BC.

With the period of the Great Discoveries, followed by Colonization, it found its way through the Straits of Gibraltar, reaching California, Mexico, Chile, South Africa and Australia.

It is often said that an olive tree will keep every generation of a family busy: the first will deal with planting, the second with maintenance and the others with harvesting! Others even say that the olive tree is eternal. There is no doubt that it lives an exceptionally long period of time, perhaps for thousands of years!

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Now, for some olive entertainment! This is Glass Olives Volume 1 and some incredible skateboarding. Enjoy!

Olives and Nutrition

2008-01-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

A perfect fit for a low-carb life-style, olives are healthfully monounsaturated.

Green or ripe, olives are a delightful little fruit that was once considered sacred. The Greeks considered it a symbol of goodness and nobility. Even today, the branches of the olive tree are a symbol of peace.

Health Benefits: Olive oil is a delicious source of antioxidants. Olive oil is monounsaturated, and it has a positive effect on the cholesterol level in our blood streams. Monounsaturated fats are not considered "essential," but they should be an important part of our diets. These oils act to keep cholesterol from sticking to our artery walls.

Olives contain substances that are believed to help us to ward off cancer, polyphenols. Polyphenols give the olive its taste and aroma. One of the polyphenols found in olives is thought to act as an anti-inflammatory.

Olive oil is easy to digest. Because it is monounsaturated, your body can handle it with ease. Enjoy it on vegetables or whole-grain bread. It’s also nice for sautéing, but be sure not to heat it to the point of smoking. Use the lowest heat possible to produce the results you want.

Shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Here is an excellent recipe for Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese and Green Olives:

Happy New Year!

2007-12-28T09:13:00.000-08:00

All of us at The Olive Hut and La Conda Ranch would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! We hope your New Year's Eve is festive and filled with joy! We hope 2008 will be a happy and prosperous year for you!

2007 was a great year for The Olive Hut and La Conda Ranch, and 2008 is expected to be even better! We look forward to creating new relationships via this new Olive Hut Blog. Be sure to comment if you have questions or wish to make suggestions for features you would like to see in the future!

For the perfect items for your New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebrations, shop The Olive Hut! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Here is a great martini recipe and a recipe for warmed olives. These recipes would be perfect for your New Year's celebrations!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-21T08:28:00.000-08:00

All of us at The Olive Hut and La Conda Ranch would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! We hope your time during this Christmas season is filled with family, friends, and joy.

Shop The Olive Hut for the perfect gift for a friend or loved one&151;or for yourself! The Olive Hut features an excellent assortment of olives, olive oils, olive products, nuts, fresh produce, and specialty items.

Be certain to check out our Free Recipes!

- Scott Patton

Here is an excellent recipe featuring olive oil and olives, from Gordon Ramsay - Linguine with Tomatoes, Olives, and Capers

How Is Olive Oil Produced?

2007-12-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

Thank you for visiting The Olive Hut Blog! I hope you enjoy your visit.

I am often asked about the availability of fresh, unprocessed olives for home processing. For pricing and availability of fresh, unprocessed olives, please visit my La Conda Ranch Web site!

Be certain to check out the Free Recipes via the link above the visitor counter!

For processed olives, nuts, produce, and other specialty items, please visit my Olive Hut Web site!

One of the questions I am often asked is, "How is olive oil produced?" Here is a video of a visit to an olive oil factory in Crete. It is a beautifully made video, and I believe you will find it entertaining and informative.

If you have question or comments, by all means click on Comments below and pose your questions or make your comments. I shall address the questions and comments as soon as possible. Thank you for visiting! - Scott Patton

New: Weekly Updates!

2007-12-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

There will be weekly updates to the Olive Hut Blog! Each Friday, you will find a new blog entry here. These updates will feature Olive Hut specials, olive news, and olive recipes.

If you have any questions, please Comment, and a representative will contact you as soon as possible. Thank you for visiting the Olive Hut Blog! - Scott Patton

Here is an excellent recipe for Marinated Olives:

2007 Olive Harvest

2007-09-13T13:30:00.001-07:00

Early starting date for 2007 Olive harvest.This year has been one of the best growing seasons on record.

Welcome!

2007-09-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Olive Hut Blog!

Here you will find news pertaining to the olive industry, specials at the Olive Hut, and what's going on with the Scott Patton family!

Enjoy your visit!