Olive It or Not

In Spain's Andalucía, home to the largest olive groves, farmers turn these tiny fruits into liquid gold

- KALPANA SUNDER

mid vast fields of silvery olive groves with twisted trunks and narrow alleyways perched on steep hills, Zahara de la Sierra in Cádiz province is one of the famous white villages of Spain's Andalucía region.

This southern Spanish region is a paradise for those who love authentic extra virgin olive oil. Traditional olive oil tastings, olive farm tours, and popular olive festivals fill the town with the nutty aroma of the fruit.

Spain's love for olives is well known. For thousands of years, the Spanish people have been using olive oil as a staple ingredient-incorporating it in almost every meal. The Hispanic country, home to more than 300 million olive trees, produces over a billion litres of this "liquid gold" and consumes almost 80 per cent by itself.

It was when the Moors ruled Spain, that olive oil production became popular. Even today, you won't find a single Spanish kitchen without a bottle of this liquid gold. Over 75 per cent of this oil comes from its southern coastal region-Andalucia.