More than 1700 years before Christ, the olive was already getting its share of headlines. Written about on papyrus in Egypt and depicted as graffiti on Egyptian walls, olives have been with us quite some time. They appear in the bible on at least 70 occasions, the best known being the dove of peace, where the dove holds an olive twig in its beak.

The olive tree has provided fruit and wood since recorded time. Unfortunately we haven’t found any use for the leaves but in these ‘ecological’ times, I am sure they will come in handy very soon.

Olives as food

Amazingly olives or olivea in Latin, have fed millions of people all over the Mediterranean but traditionally they have never taken off in other regions until recently.