History has continuously referred to the symbolic values of olives and olive oil in popular beliefs and religions.
There are over 100 types of olive trees, each producing a fruit with distinctive taste and characteristics. Each one has a different oil yield and organoleptic properties.
Regardless of the type or grade, olive oil contains 120 calories per tablespoon. In fact, all edible food oils contain about 120 calories per tablespoon. When used for cooking, the healthy aspects of olive oil do not change as the oil is heated.
The difference between the olive oils we have listed is their acidity level, which affects mostly taste, not nutritional content. Lower acidity oils, such as extra virgin, tend to have more anti-oxidants, but that is not reflected in their classification. Anti-oxidants in olive oil may help prevent heart disease and cancer so sticking with extra virgin seems to make sense. Pomace olive oil is processed with hexane and other solvents just as most seed oils like canola, corn,...
The history of the olive tree can be traced back to 4000 B.C. In around 1200 B.C. the Phoenicians, through Sicily, brought the olive tree to Italy. It flourished all around the coastlines of the Mediterranean, as both the climate and the soil in this area are extremely favorable. Traditional cultivation techniques, handed down generations, help the trees thrive in harder terrains. From the end of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance the olive tree was extensively cultivated in Tuscany, and in...
