Olive oil, the benefits of this vegetable oil
Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing olives. This oil is rich in Omega-9 and has many virtues for our health.
In this article, discover the benefits of olive oil, its composition and easy recipes to make at home. Focus on its virtues.
Olive oil identity card
- Common name of vegetable oil : Olive;
- Producer tree : olive tree;
- Botanical name : Olea europaea var. europea. Under the species “Olea europea”, one can essentially find 3 subspecies: var. europea (studied on this sheet) which is its cultivated form, then var. silvestris Brot. and var. africana which are a wild form;
- Botanical family : Oleaceae;
- Origin (country where the vegetable oil is grown): Spain, Greece, Italy, South of France, Tunisia;
- Part of the plant extracted : Fruit (pulp of the olives);
- Oxidative potential : Not very sensitive.
How much does olive oil cost?
The average price of olive oil is between 7 and 30 euros per litre.
Prices for olive oil vary widely depending on its quality and origin. Since 2015, the ravages linked to the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa (in Italy) as well as the drought in Spain have driven up olive oil prices.
Where does olive oil come from?
Olive oil has a very ancient history. As proof, the olive tree is the first tree mentioned in the Bible.
This oil is so famous that we owe the etymology of oils to it. Indeed, the term “Olea”, designating oil in general, originates from the word “olive” (the fruit). As for the geographical roots of the olive tree, botanists are not unanimous. Some think it originated in Asia after passing through Egypt, to finally conquer the entire Mediterranean region.
Be that as it may, the olive tree has since been successfully introduced into regions with the same type of climate: Southern California, South Africa, Australia, Mexico, Brazil and even Japan.
