With this series we are going to collect large and amazing curiosities and anecdotes about Olive Oil and the Olive Tree. Thus, we will continue learning in an enjoyable and fun way as it is most often characterized by Moltura.
Felipe Augusto Agudo Herrero
- Did you know that in Spain grow more than 260 varieties of olives? Some of more important varieties are Picual, Arbequina, hojiblanca, Cornicabra and Manzanilla Cacereña.
- In Rome there is a mountain within the city, with dimensions of 20,000 square meters and a height of 30 meters, which is formed by batches and piled amphorae that came full of oil through the Tiber River from Hispania. This mountain is called Testaccio.
- Did you know that olive trees have flowers? Yes, they do, and this one is called Rapa. These are grouped in bunches of 10 to 40 flowers, they are in white color with green shades and yellow stamens. The blooming period depends on the variety and weather conditions but in Spain usually occurs in May.
- The city of Athens is named after its founder, the goddess Athena. According to the Legend there was a dispute among gods to see who the protector of the city was. This dispute confronted Poseidon and Athena. Poseidon to impress, hit the earth with his trident and from the sea emerged an imposing horse, on the other hand, Athena planted a small twig from which a plant grew up, from this plant emerged a small fruit able to feed the citizens, from this you could get a juice which provided strength and vitality in addition to lighting at night, and from wood of the tree, they got enough heat for their homes. Unanimously the citizens of Athens chose the goddess Athena as their protector because she gave them the olive tree.
- Did you know that Christians are anointed when they are born and with the chrism oil at their baptism and when they are going to die, they are anointed with the Holy Oils in the Extreme Unction? In other words, in Christianity, they welcome their faithful ones to this world and when they are dying, they say goodbye with olive oil.
- Because you can take advantage of the olive tree in everything, there is a popular saying in Spain which compares it with the pig, which is from the animal world, a symbol of utilization. This is the saying “From the pig you can use even his walking and from the olive tree, even its shadow.»
- In Spain Lampante oils are those which, for different reasons (negative parameters in their composition and defects in sensory parameters) are removed for human consumption and are currently refined to be consumed. But do you know why they are called lampante oils? Very simple, because this oil was formerly used for lighting as fuel for the lamps that existed at that time.
