BOOKS: Olives

Olives may surprise you! I know you think, well __green or black, stuffed or pitted, so what? Not so according to, Mort Rosenblum, Olives, "have oiled the wheels of civilization since Jericho built walls and ancient Greece was morning news." In an engaging book, simply named, “Olives,” Rosenblum shows how the olive and olive oil is akin to and as richly nuanced as grapes and wine. Yes wine, some olive oil tastes so good that is drunk as a liqueur. There are 700 varieties and olives are native to and most widely grown in Italy, Spain, France, Greece and the Middle East. Acidity and taste are affected, just like grapes, by the variety of the olive, the soil, seasonal weather and the presence of pests. Rosenblum covers in great detail the pressing of olives and the manufacture of olive oil. Olives and olive are a 10 billion dollar a year business and Rosenblum covers the business side of the humble olive as well. The biggest producer: Spain at 37% and Italy at 19%. And if your bottle of olive oil says, ‘product of Italy, “ well perhaps not. Many growers from countries around the world ship their olives to Italy to be blended and bottled so that the bottles can wear the “product of Italy” tag that helps them sell. And don’t forget the graft. No not the plant graft, but the corruption kind, Rosenblum examines the seedy side of the business from organized involvement to adulterating the oil with seed oil. There’s even cheating that goes on to gain EU crop subsides. Olives are serious business and the consumption around the world is quite high with Greek per capita consumption topping 5 gallons per year. Olives have also gained a new found respect among the the medical community as studies have proven that olive oil is good for the heart. Once this was discovered the demand for olive oil rose as well as the price, as you may have noticed. So if you want to read about olives this is the book. It’s witty, engaging and interesting. Next time you see that olive floating in your martini give it some respect.