Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/926

* OLIVE. 792 OLIVE OIL. moist ground, or from gnarled, woody buds that form near the base of the trunk. Such plants begin to bear when from seven to nine years old, and yield crops either annually or in alter- nate years, the crop reaching its niaxinuim when the trees are about 30 years of age. The fruits are the chief commercial product of the olive. They are used for pickling, drying, and for oil production. In the .Mediterranean countries this oil takes the place of butter and the animal fats used by other nations in culinary operations. The wood of the olive tree is very hard, ])Ossesses a beautiful grain and color, and is used for ornamental cabinet work. Among the (Greeks the olive was sacred to Pallas Athene (ilinerva), who was honored as the l)estower of it; it was also the emblem of chastity. A crown of olive- twigs was the highest distinction of a citizen who had merited well of his country, and the highest prize of the victor in the Olympic games. An olive branch was also the symljol of ]ieace; and the vanquished, who came to supplicate for peace, bore olive branches in their hands. Oli'ES, Food 'aue. Two food products of considerable importance are made from olives, viz. <)lie oil or salad oil, and pickled olives. . third product, little known in tlie I'nited States, is the dried olive, much eaten in Greece and some other neighboring countries. Different varieties of olives vary greatly in size, ranging from less than 100 to over 400 to the pound, the majority, jierhaps, ranging from 1.50 to 2oO to the pound. The pit constitutes about 20 i)er cent, of the wliolc fruit, but here a considerable range is also found. Both pulp and pit contain oil. The amount of oil in the Jiulp in Californian olives ranges from 13 to about SS per cent.; that in the pit from 0.3U to 1..52 ]ier cent. hether used for oil-making or for pickling, the olive should be carefully gathered. The ripe fruit is used for oil-making and for pickling, the exact stage when it is best suited for tliis by experience. The green fruit used for pickling should be gathered when full grown and just before it begins to color and soften. The pickled olives usually found in the American market are made from the green fruit. The pickled ripe olives are also met with and may be recognized by their dark color. The best oil is made by crushing the carefully picked fresh olives. To facilitate the extraction of the oil, the olives are often partially <Iried before crushing. In California old-fashioned stone mills are commonly used to crush the fruit, aUhoiigh bronze crushers arc being tried with good results. The ground mass is pressed to extract the liquid portion, which contains watery plant juices in addition to the oil and more or less pulpy matter, ^'arious devices are used to separate the oil and to purify it. Tt is .said that the best oil is obtained by allowing the pulp. etc.. to settle, and decanting the clear oil. It generally takes about one month for oil to settle the first time. Three rackings are usually sufficient. The oil thus obtained is al- most as bright as can be produced by the mo-it effi'clive filtration, and it has, besides, the dis- tinctive olive llnvor and lacks the greasiness characteristic of all filtered oils. fJreat cleanli- ness nui-t I>e obser'ed in oil-making and every precaution taken to prevent rancidity. In making pickles from ripe and green olivc3 essentially the same process is followed. The unpleasant acid and bitter flavor is removed by soaking the fruit in a solution of potash Ije for a short time or by a longer soaking in water. In addition to removing the unpleasant flavor, the lye softens the skin of the fruit, so that the undesirable substances may be more readily extracted by water. Olives treated with lye must be soaked in clear water, which is fre- quently changed, to remove the potash. They arc then placed in weak brine for a short time and afterwaids in stronger brines. The details of each step of the process vary considerably, and much depen<ls upon skill and experience. An abundant supply of pure water is of the first importance, and great care must be exercised to prevent the growth of molds, etc. The uses of olive oil and olives as articles of diet are familiar. The former is used chiefly for dressing salads and for frying, the latter as a relish, for seasoning sauces, etc., and for garnishing various foods. The oil, like all fats, has a high fuel value, and on this its value as a food depends. The average percentage composi- tion of pickled ripe olives follows: Water, 65.1; fat, 25..5 ; carbohydrates, 3.8: protein, ash, etc., 5.G; of pickled green olives, water, 78.4: fat, 12.9; carbohydrates, 1.8; protein, ash, etc., C.9. It has been claimed that while the pickled green olive is chiefly valuiible as a relish, the pickled ripe olive is really worthy of attention as a wholesome and fairly nutritious food. In South- ern Europe and other regions the ripe olive is used as a staple article of diet. OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. See Thrush. OLIV'ENITE (from Ger. i(>liicii-cr-/.. olive-ore, from (llirr, ulivc). A hydrated mineral copper arsenate that crystallizes in the orthorhombic system. It has a vitreous lustre, and is of vari- ous shades of green to brown in color. The crystallized varieties are found in Cornwall. Dev- onshire, and Cumberland. England, in the Tyrol, and in the Ural district, while in the United States it occurs in the Tintic district of Utah, both crystallized and in the fibrous form, the last named being known as 'wood copper.' OLIVENZA, .-.■l,'-van'thi'i. A town of Spain, in the I'lnvincc of Badajoz, situated near the Portuguese frontier. 15 miles southwest of Bada- joz (Map: Spain, B 3). It was formerly a gar- rison town, but its fortifications have been razed. The town manufactures leather, earthen- ware, and hats, and has steam fiour nills. It was ceded to Spain bv Portugal in 1801. Popula- tion, in liinn, 8!).3.3. OLIVE OIL. A vegetable oil expressed from the fruit of (tint Europra, and in its purest state an inodorous, pale-yellow oil. with a specific gravity of .018 at 15° C. The olive oil of com- merce differs greatly in quality. The seed yields about 32 per cent, of oil. of which 21 per cent, is furnished by the pericarp, and the remainder, which is nuieli inferior, by the seed and woody matter of the fruit. In Sicily, where large quan- tities of olive oil are produced, the operation is performed in the following primitive fashion: The olives are first placed on a circular platform of nuisonrv. about seven feet in dianu-ter. upon which n heay millstone is turned by means of a pole and donkey. The mass, which ha* been thoroughly pulpi-d by this proee-;«. is now placed in soft rush baskets and put under a press which
 * >urpose being a matter which must be learned