Product card: Olive oil – Mobilności ZSE w Dębicy

What exactly is olive oil

It is a vegetable oil with the smell of freshly cut grass and a bitter taste. Due to the fact that it is sensitive to light, it should be stored in dark places. Properly stored from the moment of opening, it is fit for consumption up to eight to ten months!

The history of olive oil

Olive oil is a basic element of Greek cuisine, it has been widely used since Neolithic times. In ancient Greece, athletes and warriors believed that rubbing their bodies with oil would bring them luck and strength. In addition, olive oil was used as a cosmetic for dry and flaky skin. Since then, olive oil has become a widely used ingredient in dishes around the world.

The origin of olive oil

The olive tree was brought to Greece from Egypt. Olive oil began to be pressed about five thousand years ago, it can be said that it is a national heritage for the Greeks and that they are better at it than anyone due to their multi-generational experience.

Usage

Olive oil is used to flavor various dishes, especially salads, e.g.:

Orange salad or eggplant salad

Of course, it is part of many cold and hot Greek dishes. Among others:

Moussaka – consists of layers of fried eggplant, tomatoes and minced meat. The last layer is a creamy béchamel sauce and grated yellow cheese, which turns into a golden and crispy crust after baking.
Taramosalata – Most often served as an appetizer. It is a creamy paste consisting of carp or other fish roe, white bread, olive oil, grated red onion and lemon juice.
Horiatki – Greek salad, also known as country salad, consists of ripe tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, olive oil, oregano and salt, you can also add other ingredients such as olives or feta cheese
Fasolatha – Greek soup with beans, tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery and olive oil

In addition, various cosmetics are made from olive oil, including:

Balms
Soaps

Special properties:

Olive oil has been used since antiquity for a good reason. The properties of olive oil include:

Oleic acid contained in it prevents:

atherosclerosis,
heart disease
diabetes,
high blood pressure;

2.The ancient inhabitants of the Peloponnese also:

had lower cholesterol
their cancer risk was lower thanks to olive oil consumption.

3. Nowadays, it has also been proven that consuming olive oil prolongs life!

You can say that Olive is the liquid gold of Greece!

Extraction:

About 5 to 6 kilograms of olives are needed to make 1 liter of olive oil. The proportions of the recipes differ, however, the base for making olive oil is usually: dried tomatoes, basil, garlic, oregano, black pepper, thyme. The process of making the oil itself takes just over an hour. If you are not sure about buying ready-made oil, you can make oil at home to try it yourself. And come to the conclusion whether you want to buy olive oil from the home country of this product. Olive oil at home should be stored at room temperature in a shaded place.

Nutritional value (per 100g):

70.20 grams of monounsaturated fatty acids (68.97 g oleic acid; 0.9 g palmitoleic acid; 0.25 g eicosenoic acid)
14.86 grams of fatty acids (11.60 grams of palmitic acid; 2.51 grams of stearic acid; 0.7 grams of arachidic acid; 0.04 g of myristic acid; 0.01 g of lauric acid)
10.61 grams of polyunsaturated fatty acid (9.78 linoleic acid and 0.83 α-linolenic acid)

TRIVIA:

A Greek archaeologist proved that the first olives were grown in Crete as early as 3500 BC.
95% of the olives that form the basis of the oil come from the Mediterranean basin and 80% of the oil is pressed in this basin.
The olive is mentioned 138 times in the Bible.
Olive oil is the base of many skin care products