Olives: From Ancient Times to your Modern Table
History & Recipes: From Dirty Martini to Appetizer and Entree
The Olive tree has been revered for four thousand years. The history of the olive tree is believed to have originated in various places in Africa, the Middle East and Mediterranean countries. Some historical olive tree tidbits:
- In the Hebrew culture, the Olive tree symbolized peace, happiness, wisdom and victory.
- Ancient Romans considered anyone who used animal fat instead of olive oil in food preparation to be Barbarians. Olive oil was considered refined and yet perfect for daily use.
- The city of Athens was named after the goddess, Athena, who brought the olive tree as a gift to show her love for the Athenians in Greek mythology.
- The first Olympian winners wore a wreath on their heads made from a wild olive tree branch.
- Huge clay containers, used for storing olive oil can still be seen at the ancient ruins of Knossos on the island of Crete.
Health Benefits of Olive Oil
Olives have never been more popular or varied. Try using both the olive and the oil to add aromatic flavor to foods for a healthier diet. When dipping multi-grain bread into olive oil, you've added a healthy oil with monounsaturated fat (helps lower LDL cholesterol) to your diet. As directed on your bottle of olive oil by the FDA Qualified Health Claim, your two tablespoons daily of olive oil should replace a similar amount of saturated fat for best benefits.
Just for Fun
Olive oil and olives play a large part in healthy dishes but olives are used in cocktails for pure flavor and fun, as can be seen in the following recipe.
From a website online you can choose a variety of martinis to prepare with your meal. The classic Dirty Martini can be made with the barest essentials: Gin, Extra dry Vermouth, Olive juice, Green Olives.
For a Delicious Appetizer Made of Olives
Marinated Olives baked in Wine from a website devoted to Olives
- one cup unpitted Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1/4 teasp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 2 teasp olive oil
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees
- Combine olives, wine, fennel seeds, sliced garlic and olive oil in small baking dish
- Bake uncovered till olives are heated through - 20 mins.
- Serve warm
A Traditional Entree Recipe from Crete
Baked Fish with Tomato & Olive Oil Sauce
- 4-6 grouper fillets
- 2 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablesp thinly cut parsely
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt & pepper to taste
Wash, salt, and grill fish.
- In bowl mix ripe tomatoes, olive oil, parsely, lemon, salt & pepper
- Serve fish hot after covering it with tomato and olive oil sauce.
Serve with warm bread, greek salad w/feta cheese.
Use Olives in a Variety of Recipes
Olives are a divine ingredient in everything from pasta sauces to olive breads to marinades. Varieties of olives are as different from each other as night and day. Enjoy this infusion of Mediterranean history and health to add a spark to your family's diet with Olives and their precious, fruited oil. Cheers!
