| Today, you go to the store and buy a little | | | | them with a knife. They, oil would come forth |
| container of olives. You can get them in all | | | | from the olives but this was just used to |
| different shapes sizes colors, and more. You | | | | help preserve them. They were then kept in |
| can buy them with pimentos in them or not. | | | | wine, vinegar, and salty water. |
| Many wonder how this food became such an | | | | |
| important part of Greek culture and large | | | | Olive oil was created to help preserve the |
| part of their diet. | | | | olives. Olive oil was a great source of the |
| | | | Ancient people's diet because it was their |
| Ancient Greeks used olives as there main | | | | main source of fat. You might think that fish |
| source of fat instead of meat from animal | | | | was a main source of their diet, but these |
| because they thought it was an unhealthy way | | | | things were very expensive so common people |
| of getting fat, since the barbarians (non | | | | mainly just had olive oil. It is not as it is |
| Greeks) ate that way. In actuality, the | | | | today where people eat a large variety of |
| barbarians ate meat and their products such | | | | food no matter who they are. Ancient Greece |
| as milk and cheese because they were nomadic | | | | was a very socially unequal place. |
| and had no way of growing an olive tree or | | | | |
| preparing olives if they saw any. | | | | If you ever dip bread in olive oil, you are |
| | | | carrying out the actions of an aristocratic |
| Preserving olives was possible because there | | | | meal. In ancient times, common Greeks mostly |
| was salt everywhere! Since Ancient Greece was | | | | ate porridge and not bread for carbohydrates. |
| a huge island basically, salt was easily | | | | Bread was a lot of work to make and was not a |
| accessible and allowed them to preserve | | | | common food among them. |
| olives with ease. | | | | |
| | | | Today, olives are eaten by anyone who has a |
| To preserve their olives, first ancient | | | | few bucks and can walk or drive to a store. |
| Greeks would gather them while they where not | | | | Not so in the days of past. Still, ancient |
| ripe. They left them in eater that they | | | | Greeks still figured they could turn tiny |
| changed every 12 hours with water that | | | | strange spherical objects on a tree into a |
| contains wood ash and then again cleared the | | | | delicious and nutritious food for all of the |
| water. It might have taken a week. To | | | | Mediterranean. |
| decrease the time sometimes they would cut | | | | |