How to Olive Oil Production (Ancient Greece)

What You Need to Know

The process involved crushing olives in a stone or wooden press to release their oil, which was then left to settle and separate from the solids. The oil was extracted from the solids through a process of centrifugation or decantation, and the temperature during the process was likely warm.

Steps

1. 1.

   Ancient Greek Kykeon (Greece): Provided the oil base for this ritual barley-olive-wine mixture

2. 2.

   Roman Moretum (Rome): Essential for binding the herb-cheese spread

3. 3.

   Phoenician Garum (Levant): Used to preserve and transport the fermented fish sauce

The Science

Primary Reaction

lipid extraction

Common Mistakes