The story between the olive tree and Spain began from the colonization, at the end of the thousand-year-old 2nd av. J-C, of the Mediterranean Sea, by the Phoenician. At first, the phoenician culture was of low influence, but at the end of the VIIth century av. J-C, this one strongly spread out, with in his luggage famous “Olivier” and techniques of extraction of the oil locked into its fruit, the olive.
During the Roman domination: the golden period of the olive tree
The time of the Roman occupation in the end of the IIIth century av. J-C was the period when its culture extended largely in Spain.
The exploitation of the olive tree took a development that all Andalusia saw itself covered with plantations. The region of Córdoba was the territory understanding the biggest density of olive trees of the country. This is the way, afterward, we began to export obtained oil, in particular by means of the river the Guadalquivir. The Palma del Río city was moreover the central point of departure of the barges which transported oil aimed at big cities such as Seville or still Granada. Over there, the same oil was embarked in of bigger boats to be exported towards other Mediterranean countries, in particular towards famous Italian city of Rome.
What drove to establish a strong commercial link between Spain and these countries, entailing even a continuous export in this period towards Italy. Confirmation of this exchange, one of the seven hills of the city of Rome was constituted by million vases filled with oil, in majority origin of Spain.
During the Arabic domination: strengthening massive of this culture
Afterward, the Arabs intensified massively the exploitation of olive trees, while perfecting techniques and processes of extraction of the oil. Moreover, this tree is even praised in the sacred book of the Koran (Sura 24, Verse 35). Furthermore, it is the same people who inculcated decisively the use of this oil in the Spanish gastronomy.
Moreover, the word of Spanish vocabulary attributed to appoint the oil, ” aceite “, ensues from the Arabic word “al-zait“, which means “oil”. Besides, other words of the language of the olive tree also emanate from the Arabic dialect, as for example, ” alcuza ” ( al-kuza ), which indicates the jar in ground used to preserve the oil.
In the end, olive trees occupied all Andalusia and today still its culture continues to grow, also for its export.
The Oracle of Delfos said that the one who gives the city the best gift would be the one to name it.
Poseidon build a river of salted water and Atenea created the olive tree.
Atenea won and the olive tree was the symbol and the most representative icon of the Greek and the Roman empires.
From the the olive tree humans extract the juice of the olives, the olive oil.