Oil pressed from the fruit of the olive tree, the defining fat of Italian, French, Middle Eastern and wider Mediterranean cuisine, used for cooking, dressing and preservation and central to religious and ceremonial use across the ancient Mediterranean world besides its culinary role. Olive domestication and early pressing are both attested archaeologically in the Levant and wider eastern Mediterranean.
Facts
Disputed
Earliest Documented Use, From (Year)Dating for early olive domestication and oil pressing varies by site across the eastern Mediterranean and the Levant; a range is given rather than a single year. Origin RegionThe eastern Mediterranean and the Levant 1 Connections
Used By
Hummus, Dishes Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Source Larousse Gastronomique
Source Larousse Gastronomique
Olive oil is a base fat in Moroccan cooking.
Source Moroccan Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Source Archaeologists Discover Ancient Roman Olive Oil Production Facilities in North Africa (Smithsonian Magazine)Sarah Kuta
Paella, Dishes Source Paella, Rice With Everything (Smithsonian Magazine)Derek Workman
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Source Larousse Gastronomique
Source Un Pais de Tapas (Real Academia de Gastronomia, Spain)
Sources
1. The Oxford Companion to Food
Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press, 2014- entry: Olive oil
- Used By: Hummus
- Used By: Pizza Margherita
Larousse Gastronomique
Hamlyn, 2009- Used By: Italian Cuisine, entry: Olive Oil
- Used By: Middle Eastern Cuisine, entry: Olive Oil
- Used By: Portuguese Cuisine, entry: Olive Oil
Un Pais de Tapas (Real Academia de Gastronomia, Spain)
Real Academia de Gastronomia (Spain)Used By: Spanish CuisineView the Source Paella, Rice With Everything (Smithsonian Magazine)
Archaeologists Discover Ancient Roman Olive Oil Production Facilities in North Africa (Smithsonian Magazine)
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 2025Used By: North African CuisineView the Source Moroccan Cuisine (Wikipedia)
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