Uses
The olive has been used since ancient times for the making of olive oil and for eating of the fruit, which, being bitter in its natural state, are typically subjected to fermentation or cured with lye or brine to be made more palatable. Green olives and black olives are soaked in a solution of sodium hydroxide and then washed thoroughly in water to remove oleuropein, a naturally bitter carbohydrate.
Then green olives may be allowed to ferment before they are packed in a brine solution. Black olives are not allowed to ferment before packaging, which is why they taste milder than most green olives. Green olives that do not ferment before packing taste as mild as black olives.
It is not known when olives were first cultivated for harvest. Among the earliest evidence for the domestication of olives comes from the Chalcolithic Period archaeological site of Teleilat Ghassul in what is today modern Jordan.
The plant and its products are frequently referred to in the Bible and by the earliest poets. The ancient agriculturists believed that olive trees would not succeed if planted more than a short distance from the sea; Theophrastus gives 300 stadia (55.6 km) as the limit. Modern experience does not always confirm this, and, though showing a preference for the coast, it has long been grown further inland in some areas with suitable climates, particularly in the southwestern Mediterranean (Iberia, northwest Africa) where winters are less severe.
Also, olive oil is recommended by Muhammad the Prophet of Islam. "Consume olive oil and anoint it upon your bodies since it is of the blessed tree". He also stated that it cures seventy diseases.
Olives are now culivated in many regions of the world such as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Mediterranean Basin and California. Considerable research has been done to support the health benefits of eating olives and olive oil (see external links below for research results).
You could get more information from the link below...
2006-10-07 22:57:57
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answer #1
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answered by catzpaw 6
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