Green Gold: Our Love Affair with Olive Oil

Gastropod

Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

Science, Food, History, Arts

4.7 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 5 December 2017

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Olive oil is not what you think it is. According to Tom Mueller, author of Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, an olive is a stone fruit like a plum or cherry—meaning that the green-gold liquid we extract from it “is, quite literally, fruit juice.” And, while we’re blowing your minds, have you ever stopped to wonder what “Extra Virgin” means? “It’s like extra dead or semi-pregnant,” Mueller said. “I mean, it doesn’t make any sense at all.” This episode we visit two groves—one in the Old World, one in the New—to get to the bottom of olive oil’s many mysteries. Listen in this episode as we find out why the ancient Romans rubbed it all over their bodies, and whether the olive oil on our kitchen counters really is what it says on the label. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Lisa Ling, a journalist and host.
0:07.2	And I'm Hoon Lee, but you may know me as Chao on the Max original series War Year, based
0:11.7	on the writings of Bruce Lee.
0:13.4	After every new episode, join us here Hoon and I, and a series of special guests are
0:18.6	going to discuss how the show is made.
0:21.0	So, stream War Year season 3, starting June 29 only on Max.
0:25.5	And join us here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
0:31.0	Hello, I'm Esther Perel, I'm a psychotherapist and host of the podcast Where Should We Begin?
0:37.3	I invite you to enter into my office and to listen in on the sessions that I conduct
0:43.0	with people from all walks of life grappling with the challenges and choices in their relationships.
0:50.4	I'll be dropping new episodes every Monday, starting July 10.
0:55.4	Listen and follow Where Should We Begin on your favorite podcast app.
1:03.4	Oh wow, let me know if I'm like hurting the tree or it's really fun.
1:11.4	There we go, yeah.
1:13.4	It's very gratifying.
1:14.4	Like all of us just go flying off in all directions that you're at your whim.
1:20.4	You asked for it, we've made it.
1:22.4	And episode all about olive oil.
1:24.4	This is Gastropod, the podcast that looks at food through the lens of science and history.
1:28.4	I'm Cynthia Graber and I'm Nicola Twilly.
1:30.4	And that was the sound of my friend and Gastropod fan, Sarah Sklarsek, harvesting olives by
1:36.4	combing through the branches using a vibrating electric rake.
	...

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