Thales


For over 5,000 years, olive oil has been an integral part of the human diet. It was probably the first “branded” product and stored in intricate and beautiful glass jars.
Today, we still value olive oil and understand that the Ancient Greeks, primarily Thales, truly understood its value. Olive oil is not only delicious, but good for us! We use it to flavor our foods, in soaps and shampoos and to heal (http://www.bioesti.com/index.php/importance-of-olive-in-ancient-greece). The olive branch is a universally recognized symbol of peace and a crown made from olive twigs still signify Olympic achievements.
Within the Hippocrates code, over sixty medical uses of olive oil can be found, the most common are mainly for healing of dermatological diseases...Hippocrates mentions that: “using oil in winter helps the body remain warm, because it stops the heat from escaping your body. In summer when you mix oil with water and rub it on your body, it nourishes it and prevents overheating”.
Plutarch in his book ‘ethics’ refers to mastitis treatment with a mixture of olive oil and water, also keeping gums healthy and teeth white. In the temple of Asklepius oil was used in order to create ointments and medicines. Olive tea and olive flowers and their leaves were used as medicine for stomach ache and for irritation of eyes.
Look for pure olive oils, taste and compare their nuances, and incorporate them in your everyday cooking. You’ll agree that good old Thales had something after all!
Who knew that olive oil was once as good as gold? It knew that wars had been fought over spices, but this blog was a real eye opener.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting back story to something we use in our everyday cooking.
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