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Interview with Abe Saleh, owner of A Touch of the Holy Land

 
  Palestinian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (unfiltered)

Norma: Tell me about your olive oil and the process in which it is made.

Abe: Palestinian olive oil is handpicked and made from unsprayed, tree-ripened olives, and is “stoned-crushed” and “cool-pressed,” through an all-natural process that has been used for centuries. The rich taste and color of the olive oil reflects their proud tradition, making Palestinian olive oil one of the most pure, if not the purist olive oil in the world.
Palestinian farmers have never used pesticides or chemicals in their olive tree orchards, or the trees themselves.  It is by definition, organic, having no need for added preservatives, solvents, bleaches, or dyes in any of the growing, harvesting and manufacturing processes. 
The trees that produce this oil are among the oldest in the world.  Unlike many mass-produced oils, Palestinian olive oil is not derived from a plantation of trees.  Our orchards are sporadic and naturally grown, and Palestinians must endure harvesting inefficiencies most modern olive oil companies would not accept.  The result is the truest oil you can buy.  

Norma: How is your standard olive oil made?

Abe: After the long and tedious efforts of picking the olives from the trees, the olives are sorted and only those selected are transported by mule to an olive mill. The cool-extraction method is used to retrieve the olive oil from the fruit. The traditional method of extracting olive oil from the fruit is virtually the same today as it has been for thousands of years, with a few advancements in technology to ensure current-day food handling standards are met. 

The first process of the extraction begins with giant stones, weighing several tons, which crush the olives and pits into a mash. Special compressors are then used to extract the oil from the fruit. The oil is then filtered at low temperatures that retain a pure and rich flavor in the end product. Other olive oils are “bland” by comparison and lack the “peppery bite” and slight hint of bitterness found in Palestinian olive oil. 

Traditionally, Palestinian olive oil was often cloudy, with bits of olive leaves and fruit remaining in the oil. With the improved filtering techniques over the decades, Palestinians created much clearer oil, but still uses less filtering than typical mass-produced olive oils to preserve the phytonutrients within.   

Norma: Can you describe the flavor of the different olive oils?

Abe: Minimally filtered olive oil has a slightly more robust, less refined, or “rustic” flavor than heavily filtered oils, and is often preferred in the Mediterranean region.  With increasing media attention to the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, Americans are slowly catching on to the true value of our offering. 

Norma: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Abe:

Science Proves Olive Oil is a Necessity in Your Diet 

Olive oil brings much more than flavor to your diet as more and more research supports the numerous health benefits of olive oil. Because of the daily use of olive oil in the Mediterranean diet, it is no surprise that is linked to good health.  Their scant use of butter and meat has been shown to reduce the chance of getting certain cancers.  Olive oil delivers one of the “good fats” in the diet, those categorized as monounsaturated fatty acids.  The key compound, commonly referred to as oleic acid, or omega-9 has been linked to many positive health benefits.

Because fish is a large portion of the Mediterranean diet, they also consume omega-3 fatty acids, shown to reduce inflammation that is attributed to heart and cancer risks. High consumption of fruits and vegetables also provides them with many phytochemicals (natural plant-based chemicals) that are attributed to protecting blood vessels. The compounds within vegetables and fruit also have been shown to guard cells against cancer-causing substances.  More studies now indicate that olive oil may help bolster each of these benefits and more.

Another study showed that once a person switches to the Mediterranean diet, their risk of fatal heart attack is reduced buy 50% in just two to four years after their diet change. We are now learning what tradition has always told us – by using olive oil as a principal dietary fat, increasing vegetable intake, and limiting meat and dairy foods influences attributed body fat distribution, with less fat stored around the stomach.  Recent studies also have shown that the health benefits of olive oil can lower the risk of coronary heart disease by reducing blood cholesterol levels.

Other prominent studies indicate many of the following items:

• Olive oil reduces the possibilities of embolism in blood artilleries and helps keep the cholesterol rate in balance
• Olive oil is rich in lipid acids, known to help the cholesterol to dissolve in the blood – more than any other vegetable oil
• Olive oil also helps to protect the stomach from ulcers in virtue of the fact that it has the lowest acidity rate, which in turn activities the gallbladder
• After human conception, compounds within olive oil help develop the nervous system, the embryos and the infant's brain
• Olive can be easily digested compared to other oils
• Olive oil increases the level of mineral salts and contains many nutritious and healthy vitamins, which prevents headaches, stomachaches, kidney and nervous
  system problems.

I know first-hand how proud Palestinians are of their time-honored tradition of producing the most pure and rich olive oil on the planet.  An as a native of Palestine, I share their pride.  As a child, I shared in the harvest of olives, where I endured long days of hard, tedious work alongside everyone in our community.  Now as a proud American citizen, my passion is to share the experience and gifts of the Holy Land with you. 

Norma: Where are your products available?

Abe: You can go to my website to see retailers or purchase from my website,  holycreations.com.

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