How many olives are needed to make one liter of olive oil?
To answer to this question, we will tell the history of the characters involved in the production of olive oil, since the growth of the small olive tree until obtaining the olive oil.
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Olive Tree
Olive Tree is a tree native from the Asia Minor, typically cultivated along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea from ancient times. A tree characterized by a slow development, taking between 5 to 10 years to give the first fruits and only reaches its maximum productivity between its 35 to 150 years.
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The Olives
After all the process of growth and maturation of the fruit, which is called olive. Its development can be accompanied by its color changes.
It is time to harvest, which in most areas takes place between October / November, at which point the olive is already at its maturation stage and is ready to be harvested. The whole process involves a lot of care and specific techniques so that olives remain in the ideal conditions. “Knowing the right time” for the harvest is a fundamental element to obtain an olive oil with a quality of excellence.
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The Olive Oil
In the mill the olives undergo by several processes, the extraction / pressing process giving rise to the “sacred liquid” – the oil extracted from the olives. Once separated from the vegetation water and free of particles from the skin, the pulp and the stone is called… olive oil.
Olive oil is distinguished by the fact that it is a fat obtained from the pulp of the olive, unlike the other oils that are obtained from the seeds of several vegetable species. In this way the oil is considered an oil of the pulp of a fruit.
To obtain 1 liter of extra virgin olive oil, 5 to 6 kg of olive are required, approximately 5200 to 8000 olives.
To obtain 1 liter of virgin-extra olive oil, is needed an average of 5 to 6 kg of olives (Source: Casa do Azeite).
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the oil extracted from the first pressing, thereby keeping the nutrients benefits from the oil that are being lost throughout the pressings.
Each liter of olive oil brings with it thousands of olives and thousands of years of history, full of emotions!
Sources:
http://www.casadoazeite.pt/Azeite/Curiosidades
https://www.repository.utl.pt/bitstream/10400.5/14849/1/TESE%20Marta%20Segundo%20Definitiva%201.pdf
