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Olive Festival
By Tina Cuccia
Published in the Tri-City Voice
September 27, 2005
"The olive tree is surely the richest gift
of heaven."
--Thomas Jefferson
Get out the dipping bread! The 5th annual Mission San Jose Chamber of
Commerce Olive Festival takes place October 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in
the Dominican olive grove located behind the historic Old Mission San
Jose Museum in Fremont. It's your opportunity to sample a variety of
olives and olive oils and taste some delicious olive oil-inspired
dishes.
But that's not all. The Olive Festival offers something for the entire
family including plenty of great food, wine tasting, live music, arts
and crafts, entertainment, kids games, face painting, a "olive themed"
costume contest for kids (further information is available at
www.msjchamber.org), drawings, prizes and much more.
Of course the main attraction of the Olive Festival is, well, olives and
olive oil. Plenty of artisan olive oils from all over the Bay Area will
be on hand in addition to olive oils from outside the Bay Area. And this
year for the first time, local restaurants Pearl's CafŽ and Mirchi Café
as well as Trader Joes will provide food demonstrations. "They will cook
or prepare something anyone can do using olives or olive oil," said Gael
Stewart, Chair of Mission San Jose Chamber of Commerce Olive Festival.
"People can learn just by watching and then do them [the recipes] at
home," she added.
Stewart describes the event as a unique district event that takes place
in a "charming open field surrounded by olive trees." In fact, that's
how she describes the entire historic Mission area. "It's a romantic and
charming area -- the last bastion of old community."
The Olive Festival is not just comprised of business owners, but
residents of the community, too. "It brings together businesses and the
community," Stewart said.
The olive tree is one of the oldest known cultivated trees in the world
bearing one of the oldest known domesticated crops. Grown in Crete
around 3,000 BC, it spread to the Mediterranean regions of Africa and
southern Europe by Phoenicians. According to historical records,
Egyptians in 2,000 BC used olives as did Greeks and Romans. Today, over
90 percent of world's olive production is used to make oil, and
approximately 98 percent of the acreage is in the Mediterranean region.
California produces less than 5 percent of the world crop.
Olive oil has been more than just food to the people of the
Mediterranean who have described it as liquid gold, magical, medicinal
and spiritual. In Egypt, Greece and Rome, olive oil was mixed with
flowers and herbs to create perfumes, medicines and cosmetics.
Olive oil and olive trees have also come to symbolize abundance, peace,
glory, benediction, purification and honor.
Olive trees are considered practically immortal. Their incredible
resistance to harsh elements probably helped bolster the notion that
olive oil would provide strength and youth to those who consume it. In
many cultures, olive branches also symbolize peace, longevity,
fertility, maturity, wealth and prosperity.
Through the years, olive oil has been used by various religions and
cultures for its medicinal qualities and for special ceremonies.
Christian churches use the oil in baptism ceremonies, while Greeks have
used it to anoint their kings and winning athletes. Some cultures use it
to anoint the dead.
Olive oil is also good for your health. Scientific studies suggest that
the oil may be one of the primary reasons that people of the
Mediterranean have fewer incidences of cancer than occur in the United
States. Olive oil helps the body assimilate vitamins A, D and K, and it
has been called a liquid fountain of youth for slowing down the aging
process due to the oil's benefits for the liver among other things.
Science has also proven that the circulatory system is stimulated by a
diet that includes olive oil.
While olive oil is about 75 percent monounsaturated fat, it is
unsaturated fat - considered the "good guy" of fats. Unsaturated fats
are found in avocados, olive oil, fish and more, and are known for
increasing your energy and strength and improving your skin texture.
Olive oil can also be used as a moisturizer for your skin (just rub it
into the surface of your hands like a lotion) and for your hair (comb a
generous amount into your hair then shampoo it out for a natural hair
conditioning treatment).
But chances are your first and lasting impression of olive oil is on
your palate. While olive is used abundantly in all types of food, you
may be surprised to discover just how versatile it is - it's not just
good for salad dressings and as a dip for your bread! Olive oil is ideal
for saut éing veggies and meats - even used in place of butter for
pan-scrambled eggs; add a bit of salt and pepper and then sprinkle some
parmesan cheese on top. You can use olive oil in place of butter or
other types of vegetable oils that may be higher in cholesterol.
For a quick meal, drizzle some olive oil over your favorite pasta and
sprinkle on a touch of shredded parmesan cheese along with chopped fresh
basil. It's a light and healthy meal that's full of flavor.
Olive oil is also perfect for baking fish, putting on baked potatoes,
and making a variety of salad dressings. The uses of olive oil in dishes
are endless, all you need to do is experiment.
While the olive tree has been cultivated for thousands of years, it has
been difficult to trace its heritage. According to Greek mythology,
Athens was named after the Goddess Athena who brought the olive to the
Greeks as a gift that proved useful for light, heat, food, medicine and
perfume. Athena planted the original olive tree on a rocky hill known
today as Acropolis. The olive tree that grows there today is said to
have come from the roots of Athena's original tree.
A relative newcomer, the Olive tree spread to the Americas, Japan, New
Zealand and Australia in the past few centuries. As Franciscan priests
came to California and established missions, they brought olives with
them. While the first olive trees were planted in Southern California,
most of the older groves now exist in Northern California.
Olive groves flourished in Fremont with the establishment of Mission San
Jose. For the past four years, the Mission San Jose District of Fremont
has organized the Olive Festival to build community spirit and celebrate
Fremont's history of olives.
Mission San Jose was founded in 1797 and was the 14th of 21 Spanish
missions established in California by troops under Sergeant Pedro Amador
and accompanied by Father Ferm’n Lasu én. The only surviving building
from the Spanish period, a monastery, today serves as a museum that
houses a collection of artifacts, vestments and memorabilia. In the
cemetery located on the grounds are graves of many prominent Spanish and
American settlers. Mission San Jose opened for daily Mass and tours in
1985 after a four-year reconstruction.
Olive Festival
Saturday, Oct. 1
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Historic Mission San Jose
Mission Blvd. and Washington Blvd.
Parking will be available at Ohlone College Parking Lot E. For further
information, please visit
www.msjchamber.org.
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