Extra virgin olive oil is the basis of the Mediterranean diet, a UNESCO heritage site.
Ideal to produce it in Cilento, in the same areas where Ancel Keys carried out his studies and lived for over 40 years
Origins of the olive tree
The olive tree is a very ancient plant, its history and that of man have been linked for over 7,000 years. Evidence of the importance of this plant in human life can be found in various civilizations and religions. In the Bible, the olive branch is (together with the rainbow) the symbol of peace between God and men after the universal flood.
The olive tree and oil also appear in the Koran: “God is the light of heaven and earth. Its light is like a niche, in which there is a lamp (...) its fuel comes from the oil of a blessed tree, an Olive tree ”.
Greek mythology attributes the creation of this tree to Athena, goddess of Wisdom. In a competition with the god Poseidon to become the patron deity of Athens, the goddess raised an olive tree from a rock to give it to the Athenians, while Poseidon caused a new animal to appear from the forest: the horse. The Athenians chose the olive tree because the horse represented war while the new plant would guarantee them oil, wood and light and therefore abundance and peace.
The olive tree is native to the Eastern Mediterranean, the oldest traces were found in Haifa in Israel and date back to the fifth millennium BC. The techniques of cultivation and production of extra virgin olive oil were instead developed first by the Greeks and then by the Romans and remained substantially unchanged for centuries. The spread of the plant is also due to the Greeks who, in their expansion, brought the olive tree to all the countries of Magna Graecia, and to the Romans who did the same, bringing the cultivation of the olive tree up to France and Spain. In these areas, as well as in Italy, the olive tree found climatic conditions such as to easily and soon become an integral part of the landscape.
The uses of olive oil since ancient times have been the most varied, in fact, even if it plays the most important role in food for cooking and as a condiment, olive oil has also been a component of more ancient cosmetics, it has always been used as a medicine, as fuel and in religious rites.
Diet Mediterranean
By now countless scientific studies show that adopting the lifestyle provided by the Mediterranean diet, involves important benefits for our health, up to reduce the incidence of many of the major diseases causing death. Diet means Lifestyle, and it is therefore valid to adapt one's lifestyle to what was the way of life and food of the peasants of Cilento, at the time when Keys began his studies.
On this site we dedicate a large space to the subject, deepening the origins and characteristics of the Diet and also illustrating some typical Cilento recipes.
Extravirgin olive oil
A recent study by La Sapienza University (published in Nutritions Diabets) demonstrates that olive oil not only helps prevent, but can even be used in the treatment of diabetes.
