In Roman bathing culture, olive oil is a part of health and beauty ceremonies. They massage with olive oil first, and then scrape it off with a curved bone scraper. The Romans were particularly sympathetic to the magical antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of olive oil.
The ancient Hebrews believed that a king must be painted with shiny olive oil to become a real prince charming. In the New Testament, when Noah came back from Noah's Ark, he used the green olive branch as a sign to tell people that the flood had receded, so since then, the olive tree has been given the meaning of life recovery and peace.
More importantly, the olive tree culture has influenced the development of western civilization. /kloc-During the great voyage in the 5th century, Spain, a maritime power at that time, brought the civilization of olive trees to the New World in the East, South Africa, Australia, America, China and Japan with light sailboats. For westerners, olive is the best synonym for the tree of life, because it not only ignites Mediterranean civilization, but also brings happiness of taste, health and youth! The original olive trees were wild. This perennial tree has strong vitality and can even blossom and bear fruit on very barren land. However, due to geographical relations, most of its producing areas are concentrated in Mediterranean coastal countries. The Mediterranean climate is very suitable for its growth. Adequate sunshine, hot summer and warm and rainy winter are the most favorable natural conditions for the growth of olive trees.
Mediterranean region: Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Morocco, Syria, Israel, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan, Lebanon, etc. Its climate is similar to that of Argentina, Peru and South Africa.
In addition to the Mediterranean region, countries that grow olive oil include the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and China (mainly in Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan). Feature description
Dark green, rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, essential fatty acids, especially ALA(α linolenic acid). Suitable for preparing ointment, suppository, injection oil, etc. Applications: rheumatism symptoms, hair care and cosmetics; It can calm and protect hair. It is helpful for inflamed and pink skin. Because the smell is strong, it is more useful for the essential oil with strong smell. Traditionally, it has been used to make slimming oil.
When it comes to the origin of olive oil, we have to mention Crete, Greece.
As we all know, Crete is the earliest place where people artificially cultivate olive fruit. The world's top olive oil is produced in Crete, Greece.
The annual output of olive oil in the world is about 2.3-2.8 million tons, while that in Crete is only 20,000 tons. Although the output is small, it is regarded as the top product in the world olive oil market, and it has won the highest prize in international olive oil council and various international olive oil competitions year after year. Since 1990s, the Greek government and the European Union have strengthened the protection of famous olive oil producing areas. In the bill 1996R 1 107 issued by the European Union and its series of amendments, 22 protected areas of olive oil in Greece have been identified, among which 8 areas in Crete, including Simon's agricultural production area, are on the protection list, while only 8 areas in Spain and France are on the protection list.
Crete is located at the intersection of Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Sea, with beautiful scenery and pleasant climate, far away from the pollution of mainland industrial areas, and is a famous leisure tourist resort. At the same time, it also formed a typical Mediterranean climate that is most suitable for the growth of olive trees, including temperature, soil, sunshine, air humidity, precipitation and so on. In particular, KORONEIKI, the most precious oil olive tree variety, is produced here. Corone Ji is called "the king among nobles" and has strict requirements on the growth environment. It is mainly distributed in a small part of the southern Peloponnesian Peninsula in Greece and Crete, and cannot grow naturally in other places. Crete's unique geographical location and climatic conditions, as well as the soil composition dominated by volcanic ash, further ensure its special quality. There are few trees in Colassi, but the oil yield, rich unsaturated fatty acids, a lot of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, F, K, carotenoids and polyphenols which can inhibit cell oxidation and protect neurons are the highest among all kinds of olive trees.
Crete people live a long life, with an average life expectancy of over 77 years, women over 80 years old, and people over 60 years old account for 1/4, so it is called Changshou Island. The prevalence rate of residents in the island is low, especially the cardiovascular diseases and tumors with high mortality are obviously less than those in other areas. The incidence of myocardial infarction is 1/20 in other regions, and the incidence of tumor is only 1/3 in western countries. There are several generations of families living under the same roof on the island. There are more elderly people (including those over 100 years old) than in other regions, and the gap between male and female life expectancy is smaller than in other regions, indicating that longevity is universal here. Doctors all over the world generally believe that the main reason for the health and longevity of island residents lies in their dietary characteristics. In their daily diet, the biggest difference from other places is that they eat a lot of local specialty olive oil, which is rich in squalene, polyphenols, flavonoids and other trace elements, which can enhance human immunity, delay aging, lower cholesterol and blood pressure and prevent thrombosis. It has been more than 40 years since China really introduced and successfully planted pressed olive oil. As early as 1963, when Premier Zhou Enlai visited Albania, he decided to introduce olive oil into China. 1964 On March 3rd, Premier Zhou planted the first olive tree in this batch of saplings in Haikou Forest Farm, Kunming City, Yunnan Province. Since then, China Olives have been soaked with Premier Zhou's care and love, and have taken root and sprouted in China. The introduction of olive in Wudu District began at 1975. Song Ping, then secretary of Gansu Provincial Party Committee, personally advocated the introduction and cultivation of olive in Longnan, and introduced more than 60,000 seedlings of more than 30 olive varieties from Wuhan, Nanjing and Hanzhong, and carried out experimental cultivation in more than 20 towns and villages in Bailong River, Baishuijiang River and Xihanhe River basins at an altitude of 700 ~1300m. During the period of 1988, experts and professors from China Academy of Forestry, such as Xu and Deng, visited the olive in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, and accidentally discovered that the olive fruit produced in Wudu was squeezed in Hanzhong, which attracted great attention of experts and made a special trip to Wudu for field investigation. They found that olives, which did not perform well in many parts of China, grew well in Wudu and were full of fruits. Therefore, they organized experts to go deep into Longnan for many times to conduct on-the-spot investigations and demonstrations, and determined that the Chuanba Valley along the Bailong River in Wudu and the Mid-Levels below 1300 meters above sea level are the best suitable areas for olive production in China. Experts believe that the low mountain valley areas in Bailong River, Xihanshui River and Baishuijiang River basins in Longnan belong to the semi-humid climate in the north subtropical zone, with warm and humid territory and superior light and heat conditions. The climate and soil elements in the suitable area are very similar to those in the Mediterranean coast. 1989 has received the attention and support of the State Planning Commission, the State Agriculture Commission and the State Forestry Administration under the enthusiastic care of the central authorities, provinces and cities, especially Song Ping, and has been listed as one of the three major olive production bases in China. Accelerating the development of olive industry, striving to build Wudu into the largest olive production base in China and realizing industrialization have become the hope road for Wudu to expand local financial resources and farmers to get rid of poverty and become rich.
Now, Premier Zhou's wish to add the name "China" to the world olive oil distribution map has finally come true.
Thanks to the efforts of forestry experts, China has cultivated many varieties that are not available in Mediterranean countries. Some introduced varieties even have higher yield per plant than the countries of origin.
In 2005, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine 176 also made Wudu District, Longnan City, Gansu Province the largest olive base in China under special protection according to the National Regulations on the Protection of Geographical Indications.