Sets De Table Mediterranean Interiors

---

The olive, botanical name Olea europaea (meaning "European olive"), is a species of small, subtropical evergreen tree in the family Oleaceae. Originating in Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean Basin, with wild subspecies in Africa and western Asia; modern cultivars are traced primarily to the Near East, Aegean Sea, and Strait of Gibraltar. The olive is the type species for its genus, Olea, and lends its name to the Oleaceae plant family, which includes species such as lilac, jasmine, forsythia, and the true ash tree. The olive fruit is classed botanically as a drupe, similar to the cherry or peach. The term oil—now used to describe any viscous water-insoluble liquid, such as petroleum—was virtually synonymous with olive oil, the liquid fat made from olives. The olive has deep historical, economic, and cultural significance in the Mediterranean; Georges Duhamel remarked that the "Mediterranean ends where the olive tree no longer grows". Among the oldest fruit trees domesticated by humans, the olive was first cultivated in the Eastern Mediterranean between 8,000 and 6,000 years ago, most likely in the Levant. It gradually disseminated throughout the Mediterranean via trade and human migration starting in the 16th century BC; the olive took root in Crete around 3500 BC and reached Iberia by about 1050 BC. Olive cultivation has been credited for the growth and development of various Mediterranean civilizations, from the Minoans and Myceneans of the Bronze Age to the Greeks and Romans of classical antiquity. The olive has long been prized throughout the Mediterranean for its myriad uses and properties. Aside from its edible fruit, the extracted oil was used for lamp fuel, personal grooming, cosmetics, soap, multi-purpose lubrication, and medicine; its wood was sometimes used for construction. Owing to its utility, resilience, and longevity—which can allegedly reach over 3,000 years—the olive also held symbolic and spiritual importance in various cultures; it was used in religious rituals, funerary processions, and public ceremonies, including the ancient Olympic games. Ancient Greeks regarded the olive tree as sacred and a symbol of peace, prosperity, and wisdom—associations that persist to this day. The olive remains a core ingredient in traditional Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, particularly in the form of olive oil, and is a defining feature of local landscapes, commerce, and folk traditions. The olive is cultivated in all countries of the Mediterranean, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, the Americas, and South Africa. Spain, Italy, and Greece lead the world in commercial olive production; other major producers are Turkey, Tunisia, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, and Portugal. There are thousands of cultivars of the olive tree, which may be used primarily for oil, eating, or both; some varieties are grown as ornamental sterile shrubs, known as Olea europaea Montra, dwarf olive, or little olive. Approximately 80% of all harvested olives are processed into oil, while about 20% are used for consumption, generally referred to as "table olives".

---

Article title : Olive
"while about 20% are used as table olives. The olive is one of the "trinity" or "triad" of basic ingredients in Mediterranean cuisine, along with wheat (for..."
Article title : Spain
"peninsula of de Vélez de la Gomera is also regarded as a plaza de soberanía. The isle of Alborán, located in the Mediterranean between Spain and North..."
Article title : Morocco
"country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders..."
Article title : Gaza war
"November 2023. "A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid". B'Tselem. 12 January 2021. Archived from the..."
Article title : New Democracy (Greece)
"P. (2015). "Accountability and the Quality of Democracy in Greece". Mediterranean Quarterly. 26 (4): 110–131. doi:10.1215/10474552-3425211. ISSN 1527-1935..."
Article title : Cyprus
"officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Although it is geographically located in West Asia, its cultural..."
Article title : Andalusia
"autonomous community of Murcia and the Mediterranean Sea; east of Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean; and north of the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar..."
Article title : Phoenicia
"in Mediterranean naval architecture from Antiquity to modern times: technical identity and cultural identity. Proceedings of the Istanbul Round Table 19–22..."
Article title : Iberian Peninsula
"Rhône, but in his day they set the Pyrenees as the limit. Polybius respects that limit, but identifies Iberia as the Mediterranean side as far south as Gibraltar..."
Article title : Kurdistan Workers' Party insurgency
"Gazetesi (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 January 2019. "U.S. Policy In The Mediterranean: Managing The Greece, Turkey, Cyprus Triangle" (PDF). United States..."

---