Have you ever heard of olive oil (aceite de oliva, in Spanish)? It’s the healthiest vegetable oil, but it isn’t the topic of this post. We’ll talk about it soon.

This is the fruit where it comes from. It’s called “olive” (oliva, aceituna). The one in the picture is ready to be collected. The largest producers in the world are Spain and Italy, olives are a Mediterranean product after all.

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Olives can’t be eaten right after being collected. They enter a process to eliminate its bitter taste and soften them, and it’s also needed for preservation. There are many methods of curing/pìckling olives but, at home, I’ve always seen the brine-curing method only. My grandfather knows well the process. Maybe I can give further information in future posts.

Watch the traditional way of collecting olives in Spain:

Peasants hit olive tree’s branches with sticks (traditional way) or also with vibrating rakes, pneumatic shakers, etc… Olives fall on the ground, over a big mesh they have previously placed there, around the tree. There are also special tractors (harvesters) that circle the tree, shake the branches and olives go directly inside the vehicle. To use these tractors trees must be planted in broad rows.

Credits:
Pictures: Blackrice
Videos: Their respective owners at Youtube