Sets De Table Mediterranean Interiors

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The olive, botanical name Olea europaea ("European olive"), is a species of 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 ash. 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—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 was vital to the growth and prosperity 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, lubrication, and medicine; its wood was sometimes used for construction. Owing to its utility, resilience, and longevity—which can allegedly reach thousands of years—the olive also held symbolic and spiritual importance in various cultures; it was used in religious rituals, funerary processions, and public ceremonies, from the ancient Olympic games to the coronation of Israelite kings. Ancient Greeks regarded the olive tree as sacred and a symbol of peace, prosperity, and wisdom—associations that persist to this day. The olive is a core ingredient in traditional Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, particularly in the form of olive oil, and 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".

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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 : 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 : Phoenicia
"city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syrian coast. They developed a maritime..."
Article title : Provence
"to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It largely corresponds with the modern administrative..."
Article title : Topography of Spain
"Central and Montes de Toledo. Two archipelagos of geographic interest belong to Spain: the Balearic Islands, located in the Mediterranean Sea, with a latitude..."
Article title : Spain
"the Celts. The Iberians inhabited the Mediterranean side of the peninsula. The Celts inhabited much of the interior and Atlantic sides of the peninsula..."
Article title : Climate of France
"increasingly intense around the Mediterranean. They are also characterized by great variability from one year to the next. The table below shows the main climatic..."
Article title : José Andrés
"Fernandez de la Cruz". Bethesda Magazine. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019. Gray, Todd; Gray, Ellen Kassoff (5 March 2013). The New Jewish Table: Modern..."
Article title : Africa
"Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Strait of Gibraltar Mediterranean Sea Red   Sea The countries in this table are categorized according to the scheme for geographic..."
Article title : United States
"West have an alpine climate. The climate is arid in the Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal California, and oceanic in coastal Oregon, Washington, and..."

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