This week’s reading examines the imaginary of Mediterranean culture projected onto extravirgin olive oil. What tropes of Mediterraneanness does the author call into question? How does the actual science of production of contemporary olive oil in Italy challenge some of these cultural assumptions?
ethnographiesofthemediterranean 
Post: I just first wanted to say that this week is super exciting for me, I grew up in Europe and attended what would be high school in the United States in Italy. My school had olives trees on campus and we would host an olive festival where the students would make olive oil. We did this every couple of years when the olives would grow, it was a nostalgia trip this week remember when I used to do that so long ago.
But anyway, regarding the Mediterranean tropes that I saw in this weeks reading, I noticed the author speak of many of the different nutritionist that found that olive oil was about more than just the symbolisms of peace in the olive branch, but that it was woven into the very fabric of Mediterranean culture. One nutritionist in our readings said, “Nutritionist Jean Barilla claims: “Knowledge of the health-giving and healing properties of olive oil are just now opening the eyes of the modern medical com-
munity. Where ancient wisdom and cutting-edge science meet, we have found a pot of gold . . . green gold” Similar to the trope of “smelling the roses” I quite appreciated the parallelism with finding a pot of green gold in olives and their oil products. And even beyond the health tropes associated with olive oil, there is a love of naturalness that comes with olive oil, such as the natural fats it possesses and the presence of it in Mediterranean cuisine.
Additionally, I noticed the science of olive oil change in Italy once the presence of “extra virgin” olive oil became a popular concept. ““Extravirgin” is a relatively recent designation denoting the highest quality of olive oil. The concrete and imaginary conditions of food production—and technes and technoscientific shaping of or interventions in food production—produce entailments on a food commodity’s ultimate exchange and consumption.” Considering the rituals associated from olive farms that even I have personally visited, the olive tree festivals that I have taken part in, this seems like a far stray for the “naturalness” desire factor that comes into the Italian production of Olive Oil.
LikeLike
This week was super interesting and exciting to me as well! I have never thought about the science or marketing behind olive oil before, and I definitely never knew how much of a big deal it was in the Mediterranean. I agree that the parallelism of finding a pot of green/gold really emphasizes just how important olive oil is in Mediterranean societies. It is much more than just a food or kitchen staple. It is integrated in every part of the culture and history throughout the Mediterranean. Its naturalness is really important as well and helps shape that culture.
LikeLike
I loved hearing about your background and how you grew up in Europe! Thinking about how the author discussed how olive oil was woven into the Mediterranean culture is a very interesting aspect. I think you made so many great points in your post, great job!
LikeLike
That is so cool you live in Europe and I would love to go and try to make olive oil like you said you did in high school. One thing I will not do again is go to an olive oil taste test. It was a fun experience but not one that I would like to do again. You definitely have to have certain taste buds to appreciate it. I think I will stick with wine tasting instead.
LikeLike
Olive oil is certainly unique in the sense that in many readings there is a lot of talk of naturalism. Just as you say. That the finest, most pure form of olive oil is natural and made in “natural” ways. To the extent where there’s almost a stigma when it comes to using machinery with olive oil, despite that being the only way for it to be mass-produced like it is now. Especially in the Mediterranean diet as you state, its natural fats and naturalness have had a lasting impact on Mediterranean cuisine.
LikeLike
I also thought that this week was very exciting as well! I always knew olive oil was important in this region but this week really showed me that olive oil is almost integral to the regional culture. It is ingrained in numerous aspects of society including ones not food related such as medicine.
LikeLike
Not only was the events of this weeks class an interesting and educational experience, but the reading as well helped to shine some light on the idea of quality and the making of Olive Oil in general. My family has always taught me that different plants have healing properties of some sort, which is true for most medicinal herbs, however the idea that olive oil was something of a healing agent, as you have pointed out was nothing short of astonishing to me, although to be fair that is the point of the eye-opening quote that you’ve provided.
Following this was the development of extra-virgin olive oil. I must admit that I knew little about it, or the Mediterranean at the time, but the fact that it is more so recent than not is baffling to me. It seemed as though that the oil itself was produced so long ago to me, and yet so recently have we developed different methods of making something old into something new. It’s poetic, in a way, that the world of the Mediterranean could have something old and turn it new, just as it had been for thousands of years.
LikeLike
In the article “Like an Extra Virgin” author Anne Meneley highlights many of the contrasts found in her studies of Mediterranean culture, specifically, in the discourse and terminology surrounding olive oil. Meneley challenges the stereotypes of Mediterranean culture as antiquated and traditional in contrast to views of Northern Europe as rational and scientific. Olive oil, especially “extra virgin” olive oil is a perfect way to study these stereotypes because the business practices and marketing within the industry often use these views of the Mediterranean to market their products as natural and healthy, in line with health food trends in the rest of Europe and especially North America. However, this marketing material often stands in opposition to the reality of olive oil production as an industrial process, much like any other foods produced in the EU. Meneley points out how olive oil manufacturers often focus on the history of olive oil as an ancient art but leave out other parts of its history, such as its use as an industrial lubricant during the industrial revolution. These marketing techniques attempt to paint olive oil as an ancient tradition, untouched by time, just as stereotypical depictions of the Mediterranean do the same Mediterranean culture.
LikeLike
I find the concept of “authenticity” as a marketing strategy really interesting. When ‘naturalness,’ and ‘authenticity,’ are the main selling points in a product, I honestly get more suspicious, especially if it’s in a supermarket rather than a more local market. Olive oil is something that has ancient practices, yes, but ancient practices and the industrialized economy don’t flow as well together in the grand scheme of things. I also find it really interesting, as you mention, how a lot of products from the Mediterranean depend on the marketing strategy of being an old process, “untouched by time,” as you stated. This reveals how this region is being shoved into and kept in a time frame that does not reflect the reality.
LikeLike
This is Definitely a highlighted aspect of this article as the traditional idea of the Mediterranean is in many of the explanations and understandings today. In challenging these ideas, we are able to see the true nature of the region and better understand through oil production what Mediterranean culture really values. In looking at it this way, the differences between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean start to disappear and we see more similarities.
LikeLike
When looking at this week’s article, “Like An Extra Virgin”, we can see multiple descriptions and tropes when looking at the olive oil industry. One thing that can mainly attract olive oil consumers is marketing and its different use of vocabulary. Consumers living in North America are attracted to uses of words like natural, family tradition, etc. This use of vocabulary portrays the Mediterranean lifestyle as an ancient lifestyle filled with techniques that have been used for hundreds of years. In reality, this does not accurately reflect the lifestyle that the majority of people are living when there is current everyday technology present.
LikeLike
Blogpost #4
One of the Many tropes about the Mediterranean is the Sea as the representation of their culture and history. However, the sea leaves out landlocked areas such as the interior of Tuscany and Umbria. Instead of thinking about the sea as the symbol for the Mediterranean, the author instead points to the olive oil tree and its rich history dating back to the Ancient Greeks. She discusses a map that breaks down the region by Olive Oil tree rather than specific cultures and borders, by highlighting the variety of olive trees she points to the importance of the tree and the olives but also the shared value in the olive oil. Each region takes great pride in the process of making the oil and how they decide to make it shapes their identity in the region, so once again there is a common language of Olive Oil and the olive tree even if the process is different.
LikeLike
Jackson, I like how you stated that the sea leaves out landlocked areas of the Mediterranean and how olive oil serves to bring all of the areas together. I think that this is a common theme with food all around the world – it signifies communion which consequentially is unity. It is important to acknowledge this because despite being so different, are unified through this food and is a way in which they can out away their differences and come together. The fact that it has deep roots in their history also adds an added level of importance and tradition.
LikeLike