Oliv oil

Description

Olive oilis aliquid fatobtained by pressing wholeolives, the fruit ofOlea europaea, a traditionaltree cropof theMediterranean Basin, and extracting the oil.

It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods or as asalad dressing. It can also be found in somecosmetics,pharmaceuticals,soaps, andfuelsfor traditionaloil lamps. It also has additional uses in some religions. The olive is one of three core food plants inMediterranean cuisine, together withwheatandgrapes. Olive trees have been growing around the Mediterranean since the 8th millennium BC.

Spainis the world’s largest producer, manufacturing almost half of the world’s olive oil. Other large producers areItaly,Greece,Tunisia,Turkey,andMorocco.

The composition of olive oil varies with thecultivar, altitude, time of harvest, and extraction process. It consists mainly ofoleic acid(up to 83%), with smaller amounts of otherfatty acidsincludinglinoleic acid(up to 21%) andpalmitic acid(up to 20%). Extra virgin olive oil is required to have no more than 0.8%free acidityand is considered to have favorable flavor characteristics.