The History of Olive Oil

If you go open your pantry or kitchen cabinet, chances are there is a bottle of olive oil somewhere in there. It is one of the most popular oils in the world today, with millions of bottles being sold each year. It is not a new invention though, it has actually been around for thousands of years and been used by humans for various purposes. It is believed that olive oil production started around 4,000 BC in Crete, where olive was an extremely valuable item. Olives and olive oil was a huge part of the Greek economy at the time, and the olive has many uses. It was used for lotions, cooking, contraception, and even Olympic rituals. It was also incredibly valuable to the Greek because they believed the god Aristaeus was the one who spread the olive oil across the nations. As the Greeks expanded to other parts of the Mediterranean, olive farming became more common. Olive oil was still a huge commodity though, especially as the Roman Empire continued to grow. During colonial times, Spanish colonists sought after areas of America with similar climate to the Mediterranean, such as California, and started farming olive trees there. As olive oil production got more popular, the methods in which it was made also improved and became more efficient. Since then, we have mastered the production of olive oil and it is now readily available almost everywhere!