The olive is the fruit of the olive tree, Olea europaea, an ancient crop with immense significance that has been cultivated across the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. The production of olives and their oil is deeply intertwined with human history, dating back to between 6,000 and 4,000 BC in the Eastern Mediterranean. This evergreen species remains one of the world’s most widely grown fruit trees.
The Olive Tree A Unique Species
The olive tree is renowned for its hardiness and exceptional longevity, often living for hundreds of years. The average lifespan ranges from 300 to 600 years, with some ancient specimens estimated to be over 2,000 years old. This resilience is linked to its preference for a Mediterranean climate, characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The tree is relatively small, rarely exceeding 25 to 50 feet in height, and is easily identified by its gnarled and twisted trunk.
Its foliage consists of oblong leaves that are dark grayish-green on top and pale with whitish scales underneath, giving the tree a silvery-green appearance. The olive tree is also known for its ability to regenerate, sprouting new growth from old wood even after sustaining damage.
From Flower to Fruit
Botanically, the olive is classified as a drupe, a type of stone fruit similar to a cherry, peach, or plum. The fruit develops from small, white flowers that bloom in the spring, typically appearing in clusters called inflorescences. While a mature tree can produce hundreds of thousands of flowers, only a small percentage, usually between 1% and 3%, successfully develops into a mature fruit.
The olive fruit begins its life as a firm green sphere, changing color as it matures through the summer and fall. Depending on the cultivar and harvest time, the fruit transitions from green to shades of purple and ultimately black when fully ripe. Fresh olives are not immediately palatable due to a high concentration of a compound called oleuropein, which gives them an intensely bitter taste. To become edible as table olives, they must undergo extensive curing and processing to remove this bitterness.
Cultivation and Harvesting
The majority of the world’s olive cultivation takes place in the Mediterranean basin, including countries like Spain, Italy, and Greece, though significant production also occurs in regions like California and Australia. The timing of the harvest typically falls in the late autumn and winter months, once the fruit has matured. The specific method used to remove the fruit depends largely on the intended final product.
Traditional methods, such as hand-picking, are still used, especially for premium table olives where preserving the integrity of the fruit is paramount. Hand-picking is labor-intensive but causes minimal damage. For the vast majority of olives destined for oil production, which accounts for about 90% of the global harvest, modern mechanical methods are employed. These techniques often involve large shakers that grip the trunk and vibrate the tree, causing the olives to fall onto nets spread beneath the canopy.