The health effects of dietary fat are controversial. However, experts agree that olive oil — especially extra virgin — is good for you. 

The olive tree has its roots buried deep in human history since 6000 B.C. Olive cultivation originated near the Levantine Sea. This area is now Israel, Turkey, and Syria. Many different cultivars of olive have emerged throughout history. Today, olive groves are abundant in the Mediterranean, California, and Australia. Spain is the top producer of olive oil worldwide. Italy is the second largest producer of oil olive. Greece contributes only 10% around the world.

The olive is technically a "drupe," a fruit with a single large stone inside. (Yes, olives are fruits, not veggies.) Olives are full of the compound oleuropein, which give them an intense bitterness. Compared with other drupes—stone fruits like peaches and cherries—olives have a strikingly low sugar content and a sky-high high oil content (12-30%), both of which vary depending on the time of harvest and the variety.