Umbria, Italia 08-5

All across the Italian countryside, you’ll find that the olive tree—that ancient symbol of abundance, longevity and peace—is just as much an integral part of the landscape as its luscious oils are a part of La Cucina Italiana. Dotting the hillsides in picturesque groves or popping up unexpectedly alongside a mountain road, the distinctive silvery green leaves and the large–gnarled forms are indelible symbols of Italian culture.

As la vendemmia (wine harvest) winds down, October marks the beginning of the olive harvest season in Italy, which lasts through the end of December and stretches as late as February in some regions. Olive groves are easy to spot this time of year. The first sign of harvest is the web of nets that are spread out under the trees to collect the olives as they begin to be gathered. Harvesting is still routinely done by hand, as it has been for centuries, and is a yearly ritual often as old as the trees themselves.

The olive culture has deep roots throughout the Mediterranean. Since ancient times the olive tree has been a symbol of wisdom, purification, glory and peace—and has been used for medicine, beauty and religious practices as well as in the kitchen. In ancient Greece, olive branches and oil were offered to deities, important figures and the deceased in elaborate rituals. The precious oils anointed the skins of athletes and the noblest heads of antiquity, and the branches crowned the victorious of both athletic games and wars.

Not native to the Italian peninsula, it was the Greeks who introduced the olive tree to Italy when southern Italy and Sicily were thriving parts of the Magna Graecia. The Romans were quick to recognize the virtues of olives, and became massive producers and consumers of olive oil. The Greek writer Homer referred to olive oil as “liquid gold,” and the Romans capitalized on it by turning Rome into an important center of oil trade. By the 1st century AD, the Roman historian Pliny wrote that Italy’s olive oil was the best in the Mediterranean. Today Italy is still the world leader in the production of top quality olive oil.

The Greek writer Homer referred to olive oil as “liquid gold,” and the Romans capitalized on it by turning Rome into an important center of oil trade.

Nowadays, olives are grown throughout the length of Italy, from Liguria and Tuscany, down through Abruzzo and Molise, and into southern regions of Campania, Basilicata, Puglia and Sicily. There are countless varieties of olives that grow throughout Italy, with each of the 20 regions having a specific climate suitable for numerous different cultivars. Olive trees are evergreen and they can live for hundreds or even thousands of years, growing wonderfully twisted and gnarled with time. The olives are either green or black, but the black varieties are green until they begin to change color as they ripen.

The beginning of the olive harvest in the autumn means that this season’s fresh, aromatic oils will soon be available throughout Italy. Whether drizzled over bruschetta, a salad, or warm pasta dishes (and that’s just the beginning!), olive oil is the ultimate symbol of La Cucina Italiana. Now that the olive harvest is taking place all over Italy, stop by The ItalyMONDO! Blog on the Friday’s to come to learn more about la raccolta (the olive harvest) and il frantoio (oil pressing mills)–and to savor the many flavors of Italy’s olio d’oliva.

Photo Courtesy of “Carnaval King 08” at Flickr