Fact of the Day More Information After the Spanish brought the olive to Mexico, missions, in the midst of their spreading of christianity, also spread the olive into the American west.
Freda Ehmann, a German woman, bought groves of olive trees in California. As a housewife, she gave the olive all of her time and successfully founded the California olive industry [source].
Today the olive can be found in places all around the world. The plant originated in the Middle East and Mediterranean area and it is almost untraceable due to how often is was brought to different places all around the sea.
An olive branch was the prize at the ancient Olympics (circa 700s BC). The Greeks also used olive oil as an aphrodisiac. At a point in time, newly married couples traditionally consumed olive oil for their honeymoon equivalents.
Olive oil can also work against high cholesterol. It helps to balance the levels of good and bad cholesterol in the body. It can also reduce the risk of gallstones [source]. Antioxidants and vitamin E make olive oil an aid in preventing heart disease, especially the extra-virgin variants.
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