At the end of my garden, located in the Andalusian region of La Axarquía, a path leads to Lake Vinuela. Along this path is an olive tree that must be hundreds of years old.
At the end of my garden, located in the Andalusian region of La Axarquía, a path leads to Lake Vinuela. Along this path is an olive tree that must be hundreds of years old. Its trunk, twisted and twisted like an old mooring line, seems to grow from a huge rock. If this tree could talk, it would stay entertained for hours. He was there long before the artificial lake appeared and I suspect he will still be there when he comes out of this deadly reel.
When I went through the tree this morning and said a good day like so many times, I started thinking about olive trees in general and how they lived with people for aeons. Everything about the versatile olive tree is useful; Its fruits are appreciated all over the world, the pressed oil of its fruits is found in almost every kitchen and has been used in ancient Greece to anoint kings and athletes. Oil can also be burned in lamps to provide light. Its branches and leaves are a symbol of peace, but they were used to crown the victors of bloody wars. Tutankhamun had olive leaves in his grave. The tree also offers us olive wood, the dense wood so rich in carving and polishing. How satisfying it is to handle an olive wood container. I even saw fabulous olive wood guitars. The olive stone is not wasted; It can be collected and is actually used for rocket cooking.
It is believed that the olive tree came from Asia Minor to the Mediterranean 6,000 years ago. Was cultivated in the island of Crete in 3000 a. C. If there is an older cultivated tree in the world, I would like to know. The ancient Greeks and Romans loved it, and as Rome grew, so did the rule of the olive tree. In fact, the Romans saw those who used animal fats in their diets instead of olive oil as barbarians. There are specimens on the olive mountain for more than 2,000 years; What a story they could tell! Hippocrates, the founder of medicine, believes that a daily tablespoon of olive oil is beneficial, and there are still people who follow his example today. Just think of how often the olive is mentioned in the Bible and in the Qur’an.
Today, the olive tree is the most widely grown fruit crop in the world, with an area increase of over 300% in the past half century. The largest olive growers are the Spaniards, who produce more than twice as much as the Italians. Greece ranks third, Turkey fourth, followed closely by Syria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Portugal and Lebanon. It’s all a Mediterranean influence, don’t you think?
The fruits are gathered by shaking the branches. Seeing this in this area both manually and with a machine that shakes the natural light of the tree, but does not seem to do any harm. They fall into olive nets that have been placed around the base of the tree. They are usually taken to the local cooperative for pressure.
Next time you vacation on the Mediterranean Sea and sit in the bar and enjoy a gin and tonic with a plate of olives, think of the wise olive tree of the world and as you walk the landscape in the heat of the sun, stop and talk. with the big old man who is the olive tree.