The centrepiece
The Oldest Olive Tree in the World
The Olive Tree of Vouves in Crete may be over 3,000 years old and still fruits every autumn — a living link to the Bronze Age and a lesson in how the olive endures.
Read the story →Monday 9 November 2026Since 2004 · in English and French · 25 years in the olive trade
Every type of olive, and the oil it becomes.
Olive Tree Zone Guide: The USDA Zones Where Olives Grow
Olive tree zone guide: olives grow outdoors in USDA zones 8 to 11. What each zone means, microclimates, pots for cold areas and where…
November 6, 2026Olive Tree Leaves Yellow or Dropping: Check These Things in Order
Olive tree leaves yellow, curling or dropping? Check the season, soil, roots, light, recent changes and cold, in that order, then read each symptom.
November 3, 2026How Big Do Olive Trees Get? Height, Spread and Growth Rate
How big do olive trees get? Usually 20 to 30 feet in the ground and 4 to 10 in a pot. Size by variety, growth per year, and how pruning…
October 31, 2026Guides
How to Cure Your Own Olives (Without Lye)
Straight off the tree, an olive is inedible — bitter enough to make you wince. Curing is how we fix that, and you can do it at home…
- How to Taste Olive Oil
- How Long Do Olives Last? Storage and Shelf Life
- Olive Oil Grades Explained
- Olive Tree Care: Watering, Pruning and Feeding
Comparisons
Kalamata vs Black Olives: What’s the Difference?
Kalamata are ripened and brine-cured. Tinned black olives are picked green and oxidised. Why one tastes of wine and the other of almost nothing.
- Extra Virgin vs Virgin Olive Oil: The Difference Is a Number
- Early-Harvest vs Late-Harvest Oil
- Black Olives vs Green Olives: What’s the Difference?
- Olive Harvesting: Hand vs Machine
Kitchen
Cooking With Olives: A Practical Guide
An olive that is delicious from the jar can wreck a dish, because heat does three things to it: it drives out salt, it softens the flesh, and…
- Cheese and Olive Pairing Guide
- Chicken Marbella: The Olive and Prune Dish That Refuses to Date
- The Gilda: Three Ingredients on a Stick, and the Best Olive Snack in Spain
- The Best Olives for Pizza: Which Varieties Actually Work
Stories
The Oldest Olive Tree in the World: ~4,000 Years in Crete
In a village in Crete stands an olive tree up to 4,000 years old — still making olives. A timeline of everything it has outlived, and the one…
- The True Cost of an Olive: Where Your Money Actually Goes
- How Olive Oil Gets Cut: Blending, Refining & Fraud
- Olive Oil Fraud, Explained
- The Most Expensive Olives in the World, and What You Are Actually Paying For
Types of olives, A to Z 87
- Adramytini
- Aglandau
- Alfonso (Botija)
- Aloreña de Málaga
- Arauco
- Arbequina
- Arbosana
- Ascolana Tenera
- Athinolia
- Ayvalık
- Biancolilla
- Blanqueta
- Bosana
- Bouteillan
- Buža
- Carolea
- Casaliva
- Castelvetrano
- Cellina di Nardò
- Cerasuola
- Cerignola
- Changlot Real
- Chemlal de Kabylie
- Chemlali
- Chetoui
- Cobrançosa
- Coquillo
- Coratina
- Cornicabra
- Domat
- Dritta
- Empeltre
- Farga
- Frantoio
- Gaeta
- Galega
- Gemlik
- Gordal
- Grossane
- Halkidiki
- Hojiblanca
- Istrska Belica
- Itrana
- Kalamata
- Kalinjot
- Kolovi
- Konservolia (Amfissa)
- Koroneiki
- Leccino
- Lechín de Sevilla
- Lucques
- Madural
- Manzanilla Cacereña
- Manzanilla
- Maurino
- Megaritiki
- Memecik
- Mission
- Moraiolo
- Morisca
- Niçoise (Cailletier)
- Nocellara del Belice
- Nocellara Etnea
- Nostrana di Brisighella
- Nyons (Tanche)
- Oblica
- Ogliarola Barese
- Pendolino
- Peranzana
- Picholine Marocaine (Beldi)
- Picholine
- Picual
- Picudo
- Rosciola
- Royal de Cazorla
- Salonenque
- Sevillano
- Taggiasca
- Tanche
- Throuba Thassos
- Toffahi
- Tonda Iblea
- Tsounati
- Verdeal Transmontana
- Verdial
- Villalonga
- Žutica
From the archive
Fried in Olive Oil: Big Spanish Study Finds No Heart Link
A BMJ study of 40,757 Spaniards found no link between fried food and heart disease fried in olive or sunflower…
EU Olive Oil Labeling Rules Rewritten Into One Clean Text
The EU has codified its olive oil labeling rules as Regulation 29/2012. What a bottle must say about origin, cold…
Spain Suspends Protection for the ‘Aceite de Jaén’ Label
The Aceite de Jaén PGI loses its temporary protection after a Granada court froze the application. Why a label for…
China Orders Closer Checks on Italian Olive Oil Imports
China's AQSIQ tells inspectors to scrutinize Italian olive oil after reports that most 'Italian' oil holds foreign oil. Why the…
Greeks Trade Down to Cheaper Olive Oil
A new study finds Greek olive oil consumption down 6.1 percent and packaged oil losing ground to bulk as households…
Extra Virginity: Tom Mueller’s Book Takes On Olive Oil Fraud
Extra Virginity, Tom Mueller's new book, shows how stale and cut oil ends up sold as extra virgin. What it…