In Olive Oil, We Trust

Without a doubt, Lebanon’s emotional attachment to olive oil runs deep, reflecting both cultural significance and historical roots. Olive oil is a staple in Lebanese cuisine, used in everything from salads to traditional dishes. It symbolizes hospitality and is often served at family gatherings and celebrations.

Overall, olive oil is much more than just a cooking ingredient in Lebanon; it embodies cultural identity, tradition, and a connection to the land and family.

In a country facing economic challenges and political instability, olive oil represents resilience and continuity. It is a source of sustenance and a connection to the land, embodying the Lebanese spirit.

Celebrated for its health benefits, olive oil has long been a key component of the Mediterranean diet. This adds to its emotional value, symbolizing care for family health and well-being.

Such is the nation’s attachment to the fruit and its oil, ancient lore claims the world’s oldest olive trees are to be found in Bechaaleh, near Batroun in north Lebanon.

Aged by scientists to around 1,400 years old (or “at least 5,000” or “more than 6,000 years old” by better-informed villagers), the Lebanese have never been a people to let facts get in the way of a good story. To some, these olive trees provided the branch a dove collected with which it returned to the Ark (Noah’s, not Indiana Jones’s).

Contemporary and science-based lore indicates Lebanese olive oil’s many health and wellness benefits and cold-pressed extra virgin oil is very much on-trend.

Today, some of the country’s switched-on chefs and entrepreneurs have cottoned on.

Akkar-based Zejd (and our old neighbor and supplier in Achrafieh) will delight you with a tray of their olive oil-infused heart-shared chocolates or tame your mighty beard with their olive oil-enriched grooming products.

In Beirut, Le Flocon Artisan Glacier combines award-winning Darmess oil with labneh, a sprinkle of salt, a few chopped black olives, and some of the glacier’s unquestionable magic, and is creating olive oil-blended ice cream.

All this having been said (or eaten), we still believe there’s no better way to enjoy the flavors of freshly pressed oil than with a scoop of hummus, a bowl of loubieh, or drizzled liberally over Teta’s age-old tabbouleh recipe.

For those in the know, a day shared with fine olive oil is a good day, indeed!