Ancient History

The olive was first cultivated in the Levant and Crete virtually simultaneously. The earlier development is thought to have been in Syria by a Semitic tribe nearly 6,000 years ago. From its roots in the areas of Syria, Israel & Lebanon, olive cultivation spread to Turkey, Arabia, North Africa and Spain. The Hebrew word for olive is Zayit, which is similar and the obvious root to the Aramaic Zaita, Arabic Zait, Armenian Dzita, North African Zeit and Spanish & Portuguese Azeite. Those countries using the word olive, trace their roots to Greece, not to the Levant.

The olive tree grew wild in the natural forests of ancient Israel particularly on the hills of Galilee, Samaria & Judea but also in the Sharon Plain and the Negev. The bounty of Israel was frequently described in the Bible as ‘corn, wine & olive oil’, which formed the basis of the diet and the mainstay of the economy. Of the seven species with which the land was blessed, it was oil that was emphasized in the Bible: “a land of olive oil.”

Olive oil was also an important commodity for trade & export. There is evidence that olive oil from Canaan was exported to Egypt and Greece over 4,000 years ago! In ancient Israel olive oil was used for food, cooking, medicine, illumination, cleanliness, cosmetics and for annointing kings or priests during their consecration. The Jewish festival of Hannukah, celebrates a miracle involving olive oil.

Archaeologists have found a wealth of information from ancient oil presses, storage jars and weights found throughout the country. It is in Israel that the earliest mortars for crushing olives and the oldest surviving vestiges of olive wood were discovered. The oldest olive oil jars, dating back to 6,000 BCE, were found in Jericho.

The Phillistine capital called Ekron (central coastal plain of Israel) was the most complete olive oil production center – 114 large olive oil presses were excavated, clearly indicating the size of the olive oil industry in ancient times.

The relationship between Israel and olive oil is best studied at the Israel Oil Museum at Oil Industries Ltd in Haifa or at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, where they have recreated ancient olive presses.

Modern Israel

In the Israel of today there are place names evoking the importance of the olive: Beit Zayit, Har Zayitim – The Mount of Olives and Garden of Gethsemane (Gat Shemen – an oil press) are the most famous of these. Even the emblem of the modern state of Israel depicts a menora (an oil lamp candelabra), which in ancient times was lit using olive oil as fuel, with a relief of an olive branch and leaves on both sides.

Growing olives for food and oil did not become a major Jewish agricultural sector until the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948 but it had always been a major sector of the Israeli Arab economy. In the last fifteen years with the development of Israeli food & wine culture, there has been enormous growth in the interest & quality of Israeli olive oil.

 The average harvest for the production of olive oil in Israel is about 6,000 tonnes but consumption is more than double, so olive oil has to be imported from Israel’s neighbours such as Jordan, the Palestine Authority, Turkey, and also from Spain, Italy & Greece to satisfy demand.

Today the olive industry really symbolizes Israel because every community – Jews, Arabs, Druse & Circassians – are involved in the cultivation of olives.

Regions

Israel has a Mediterranean climate – so much of the country is suitable for the cultivation of olive trees. Olive groves cover more than 20 million square meters from the mountains of the Galilee to Revivim & Neot Smadar in the Negev  and from the coast in the west to the hills & valleys of the east. Traditionally the mountainous areas of Galilee, Samaria & Judea was where olive trees thrived, particularly nurtured by the Arab sector.

The biggest concentration of olive groves still lies in the Galilee, northern Israel. The Lower & Western Galilee are arguably the most famous areas for olive production. However the valleys surrounding Mount Carmel, the Sharon Plain, the Golan Heights, Judean foothills and central Negev are all now sites for the production of quality olive oil.

In the Negev highlands, the Israeli genius for agriculture and technology come together in the Kibbutz Revivim initiative to plant new olive groves, which are irrigated by saline, brackish water drawn from deep wells. The resulting Halutza olive oil has won worldwide recognition for its quality. The word ‘Halutza’ means pioneer !

Varieties

The Souri, which is sometimes referred to as the Suri or Syrian olive, is the main indigenous variety, particularly popular in the Galilee. It is one of the oldest varieties in the world – thought to have originated in the Lebanese town of Sur (Tyre). It is a small, oval olive producing an aromatic, picquant olive oil, which is green, peppery with a hint of honey.

Barnea is a variety developed in Israel by Professor Shimon Lavie. It has become an international variety planted in Australia & Argentina. This small, oblong olive is easy to grow, providing good yields  and can be planted densely. It produces a sweeter, delicate olive oil with a light fruity taste and an aroma of mown hay.

Nabali Baladi originated in Nablus. The improved Baladi, known as Mohsan, was introduced to Israel from the Arabs of Judea & Samaria after 1967. A larger olive than the Souri, it is easier to cultivate, and gives good yields. It is more neutral than the Souri & Barnea.

International varieties are also grown in Israel including Manzanilla and Picual from Spain, Novo & Leccino from Italy, Fishulin from France and Kalamata from Greece.

Olive Oil Producers

The biggest producers of quality olive oil in Israel are Carmel Winery, founded in 1882, and Oil Industries of Haifa, founded in 1924. The most well-known olive oil brands in Israel are Carmel (Carmel Winery), Halutza (Jordache), 778 (Unilever, Israel), Yad Mordechai (Elite), Etz Ha’Zayit & Zeta (both Oil Industries of Haifa). Carmel & Zeta dominate the mass market. The main producers in the Israeli Arab sector are ‘The Modern Olive Oil Press’ and Jahshan. . Much of the imported olive oil is blended with Israeli olive oil, but the big international brands like Borges from Spain and Bertolli from Italy are also sold in Israel. The main exporters of extra virgin olive oil are Carmel (Zichron Ya’acov on Mount Carmel), Eger (Jezreel Valley), Halutza ( Kibbutz Revivim, Negev Highlands), & Zeta (near Nazareth, Galilee).

In a move to develop the brand ‘Israeli Olive Oil’, Carmel have formed a new consortium ‘Handcrafted Olive Oils of Israel’ for marketing Israeli olive oil abroad. It is made up of some of Israel’s finest producers: Gazit (from the Western Galilee), Halutza (Central Negev), Kad Bnei Darom (Shefela – coastal plain), Kibbutz Tzora (Judean Hills & Foothills), Makura Ranch (Mount Carmel) & Uri Sagie (Kfar Bialik – northern coast) and shows the quality & variety of Israel’s finest extra virgin olive oils.

Strict quality controls are maintained by the Israel Olives Board. Only olive oils which pass their stringent tests are able use the special sticker for ‘Quality Approved Israeli Olive Oil’. They organize annual blind tasting competitions for both big & small producers in order to promote quality.

Use of Olive Oil

Olive oil is so central to the Mediterranean diet that it is no surprise that it should strongly feature in an Eastern Mediterranean country like Israel. Israelis love to cook with olive oil. A fresh fish is likely to be grilled with only fresh herbs & olive oil added. In the quality restaurants, olive oil is used to enhance carpacchio or simply drizzled onto bread. A small dish of olive oil may appear on the table in place of butter. At home it will be enjoyed with hummus (cooked & pureed chickpeas) or labane (yoghurt based sour cheese). Pita bread dipped in olive oil and za’ater, the herb of Israel, is a popular breakfast in the region. On salads, Israelis will add olive oil, lemon juice & parsely – instead of the traditional European salad dressing of oil & vinegar. Whereas in the southern Mediterranean the custom is to use olives in the cooking, in the eastern Mediterranean, olives are presented as a starter or as part of a mezze–an hors d’oeuvres served on a number of small plates in the center of the table. In its love of olive oil & olives, Israel is no different from other countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, like Greece & Turkey.

Connoisseurs are often surprised by one of Israel’s best known secrets – the quality of its finest olive oils. They are considered to be more aromatic, characterful & strongly flavored than the more delicate European olive oils. Once again the Eastern Mediterranean, the cradle of the olive, is producing world-class olive oil.