The olive tree, which produces olives, which are an indispensable ingredient in our breakfasts, and olive oil, which is the healthiest vegetable cooking oil, is the exemplary plant of the Olive family. Its homeland is Anatolia and from there it has spread to all the Mediterranean basin countries. The important species is the European olive (O. europea).
This tree, which can grow up to 12-15 meters tall, is very long-lived and can live up to 1,000 years. The tree starts producing fruit called olives at the age of 7-8 and its productivity increases until it is 35 years old. Then, there is a decrease in fruit productivity. 100-year-old olive trees need to be renewed.
The olive tree, which is an evergreen plant, has oval-shaped, thin, long leaves that are dark green on top and silvery underneath. The olive tree, which is a very showy plant with the interesting shapes of its aging trunk and the beauty of its leaf color, blooms in clusters in the leaf axils in spring with its small, whitish green flowers. These flowers usually mature by November and produce oval-shaped, long, dark green, blackish-green, stone-seeded, bitter-tasting fruits.
Olive fruits are pickled using special methods and prepared for the table. The olives to be extracted from are kept on the tree until January and are picked when their color darkens. The oil is extracted by squeezing them with presses in factories. In addition, the very hard wood of the olive tree, which is yellow in color and dark in wavy form, is used in carpentry.
NUTRITIONAL VALUES
100 gr. pickled green olives 30 calories; 0 cholesterol; 3.1 gr. fat; 3 gr. fiber; 4.8 mg. phosphorus; 26 mg. calcium; 6.2 mg. iron: 639 mg. sodium: 26 mg. potassium; 17.4 mg. magnesium; contains trace amounts of A, B1 and B2 and 0.01 mg. vitamin B6, as well as folic acid and vitamin E.
The nutritional values of pickled (kalamata) black olives are slightly higher than those mentioned above.
BENEFITS TO OUR HEALTH
Some of the above mentioned have really high nutritional values as well as;
o Olive oil obtained from olives is heart-friendly: Olive oil reduces the level of bad cholesterol in the blood. It helps prevent blockages in the arteries. It plays an important role in keeping blood pressure under control. It is not a coincidence that the risk of heart disease is low in the people of our Aegean region, especially in Ayvalık and its surroundings, who consume olive oil abundantly.
Olives and olive oil contain cancer-preventive substances.
Olives and olive oil also have effects that lower high blood pressure.
o Olive oil delays the aging of the body: While nutrients are converted into energy in our body, some substances called oxidants are produced. Olive oil renews our cells with the many antioxidant substances it contains, delays the aging of our tissues and organs. It prevents calcification in our body.
o Olive oil facilitates digestion: It does not reduce stomach acids necessary for digestion. It supports secretions that help digestion. It cleanses the gallbladder from cholesterol. It prevents constipation and ensures that the intestines work more smoothly.
o Olive oil plays a vital role in children's nutrition: The fatty acids contained in this oil are equivalent to those in breast milk and strengthen children's bones. The vitamin E contained in olive oil ensures that children grow up healthy.
o Olive oil contributes to our beauty: Olive oil nourishes our skin and hair, making our skin look young and our hair thick and shiny.
o Finally, blood pressure lowering drugs are made in pharmacy from olive tree leaves.
