Beyond the table: The surprising history of olive oil in the Mediterranean

Here, olive oil is not simply a food product purchased when needed. It often arrives in jugs from the family home or comes from the family’s own harvest, then makes its way to children and relatives living in cities or abroad. Even those who have emigrated far away know the scene well: returning from a visit to their homeland with space in their suitcase reserved for a bottle of olive oil, whose taste carries something that cannot be bought in any store.