Olive - Olive (English spelling)

Japanese: オリーブ - おりーぶ（英語表記）olive

An evergreen tall tree of the Oleaceae family (APG classification: Oleaceae). It grows to a height of 10 meters. The leaves are opposite, elongated, elliptical, hard, and entire. The upper surface is dark green, while the underside is silvery white and densely covered with short hairs. In early summer, branched stalks emerge from the leaf axils, and the flowers are small, bell-shaped, yellowish white, with four lobes at the tip of the corolla, making them appear to have four petals at first glance. There are two stamens. The fruits are broadly elliptical, measuring 2-3 cm in length. They are greenish yellow until autumn, and ripen to purple-black in winter. They contain one seed inside. They are said to have originated in Asia Minor, but there is also a theory that they originated in Libya and the Sahara Desert in ancient times, and then moved to Greece via Egypt and Crete, before entering Asia Minor. It was introduced to Japan during the Bunkyu era (1861-1864) and was successfully cultivated on Shodoshima Island from the end of the Meiji era. Globally, it is mainly produced in the Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Italy, Spain, France, and Turkey.

There are many varieties of olives, each with different flavors and oil content, and each has its own intended use, such as for salting or extracting oil. Olives are usually propagated by grafting or cuttings. Seedlings are used as rootstocks, and cuttings are either grafted in early to mid-April, or budded in spring and autumn. Cuttings are made by taking branches about 30cm long and planting them outdoors in March. New shoots will grow within the year and root the following year. Alternatively, cuttings can be piled with soil in the spring to allow them to root and then transplanted the following year, or they can be planted in mist. In Japan, the character kanran (olive) is used to refer to olives, but this is incorrect; kanran refers to the evergreen tall tree of the Burseraceae family, kanran (also known as Uonohonenuki).

[Hoshikawa Kiyochika July 16, 2021]

use

The fruits are broadly divided into those for processing and those for extracting oil. Sevillano and Manzanillo are used for pickling, Lucca and Nevada Blanco for extracting oil, and Mission is a dual-purpose variety. Processed products include salted green fruits, salted filled fruits in which the seeds are removed and stuffed with pimenta, salted ripe fruits, Greek olives, dried olives, and more. The fruits contain the bitter glycoside orulopein, which makes them astringent. To remove this, soak them in a 1.5-2.0% aqueous solution of caustic soda for 6-10 hours. After processing, rinse thoroughly with water to remove the caustic soda. Olive oil is extracted from the flesh of the ripe fruit, and olive kernel oil is extracted from the stone fruit, and these are used for salad oil, medicinal purposes, wool, lubricants, soap, etc. The wood is dense and used for carving.

[Muneo Iizuka July 16, 2021]

Cultural history

Olive trees have been cultivated since prehistoric times, and branches and leaves have been excavated from the coffins of mummies from the ancient Egyptian dynasty. It is a representative plant of the Bible, and is known to have been one of the important plants of the ancient Hebrews. In addition to being used as food, it was used as oil for sacrificial offerings and as purifying oil. In the Old Testament's "Noah's Ark" (Genesis Chapter 8), Noah learns that the flood, the wrath of God, has subsided and the earth has reappeared, as a dove returns with an olive branch in its mouth. Since then, a dove with an olive in its mouth has been considered a symbol of peace, and an olive branch is featured in the design of the flag of the United Nations. The olive tree is also considered the national tree of Greece, but it is also depicted in murals of the Cretan civilization, and in mythology it is created by the goddess Athena. The Athenian politician Solon enacted legislation to plant olive trees as a symbol of freedom, hope, mercy, purity, and order, and many olive trees were planted in citizens' gardens. The fruit was preserved for eating by salting, and the oil was applied to hair and skin, and its scent was used to maintain health by eliminating body odor. The oil in particular was an important trade commodity, and is thought to have enriched the Athenian economy. It was introduced to ancient Rome around the 7th century BC, where it was used as a symbol of the goddess Minerva (identified with Athena). Its existence was already known in China during the Tang dynasty, where it was called Qitanshu (Saitonshu), but its current Chinese name is Youkanran (Youju olive).

[Hiroshi Yuasa July 16, 2021]

[Reference items] | Olive oil | Kanran | Shodoshima

olive
A fruit tree mainly grown in Mediterranean countries. The fruit is used as a raw material for olive oil and salted products. ©Shogakukan Photo by Masatoshi Hirose ">

olive

Olive Blossom
In early summer, many small, bell-shaped, yellowish-white flowers bloom. ©Kagawa Prefecture Tourism Association

Olive Blossom

Olives (green, salted)
Young fruits are often simply called olives or green olives. The photo shows salted olives (left) and stuffed olives (left), which have had the seeds removed and are salted after being stuffed with spices. ©Shogakukan ">

Olives (green, salted)

Olives (ripe and salted)
Often called black olives, these are salted, fully ripe fruits ©Shogakukan ">

Olives (ripe and salted)

Olive cultivation
Olive fields on Shodoshima Island, taking advantage of the hilly terrain ©Shogakukan ">

Olive cultivation

Shodoshima Olive Garden
The first private olive garden in Japan, located on Shodoshima Island, the birthplace of olive cultivation in Japan. It is home to the oldest olive tree in Japan. Shodoshima Town, Shozu District, Kagawa Prefecture ©Kagawa Prefecture Tourism Association

Shodoshima Olive Garden

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

モクセイ科（APG分類：モクセイ科）の常緑高木。高さ10メートル。葉は対生し、細長い楕円(だえん)形で質が硬く、全縁。表面は暗緑色、裏面は短毛が密生して銀白色。初夏に葉腋(ようえき)から分枝した花軸を出し、花は小さな鐘状で黄白色、花冠の先端が4裂するので一見4弁にみえる。雄しべは2本。果実は広楕円(こうだえん)形で長径2～3センチメートル。秋ごろまでは緑黄色、冬に紫黒色に熟す。中に1個の種子がある。原産は小アジアとされるが、リビアとサハラ砂漠が太古の原産地で、エジプト、クレタ島を経てギリシアに移り、小アジアに入ったとする説もある。日本へは文久(ぶんきゅう)年間（1861～1864）に渡来し、明治末期から小豆島(しょうどしま)での栽培に成功した。世界的にはギリシア、イタリア、スペイン、フランス、トルコなど地中海沿岸諸国が主産地である。

　オリーブには多くの品種があり、品種によって味や油の含量が違い、塩蔵用、採油用など用途が決まっている。繁殖は普通は接木(つぎき)か挿木による。台木は実生(みしょう)台を用い、4月上旬から中旬に切り接ぎ、あるいは春秋二季に芽接ぎを行う。挿木は、長さ30センチメートルほどの枝を3月に露地挿しする。年内に新梢(しんしょう)が伸び、翌年発根する。また、春にひこばえに土寄せして発根させ、翌年に移植するほか、ミスト挿しもできる。日本ではオリーブに橄欖(かんらん)の字をあてていたがこれは誤りで、橄欖はカンラン科の常緑高木のカンラン（一名ウオノホネヌキ）のことである。

［星川清親　2021年7月16日］

利用

果実は加工用と採油用とに大別する。セビラノ、マンザニヨはピクルス用、ルッカ、ネバジョブランコは採油用、ミッションは兼用品種である。加工製品には緑果塩蔵、種子を抜いてピメンタなどを詰めた充填(じゅうてん)塩蔵、熟果塩蔵、ギリシア風オリーブ、干しオリーブそのほかがある。果実には苦味配糖体オリュロペインがあり、渋い。この除去には、カ性ソーダの1.5～2.0％水溶液に、6～10時間の浸漬(しんし)処理がよい。処理後は十分水洗いし、カ性ソーダを除く。油は、熟果の果肉からオリーブ油、核果からはオリーブ核油がとれ、サラダ油、薬用、紡毛、潤滑油、せっけんなどに用いる。材は緻密(ちみつ)で彫刻などに用いられる。

［飯塚宗夫　2021年7月16日］

文化史

オリーブは有史以前から栽培され、古代エジプト王朝のミイラの棺からはその枝や葉が出土している。代表的な聖書植物で、古代ヘブライ人の重要な植物の一つであったことが知られるが、食用のほかに、いけにえを捧(ささ)げる儀式の灯油や、清めの油などに使われた。『旧約聖書』の「ノアの箱舟」（創世記第8章）では、放ったハトがオリーブの枝をくわえて戻ったことから、ノアは、神の怒りである洪水が引いてふたたび大地が姿を現したことを知る。以来オリーブをくわえたハトは平和の象徴とされ、国際連合の旗のデザインにはオリーブの枝があしらわれている。またオリーブはギリシアの国樹とされるが、クレタ文明の壁画にも描かれ、神話では女神アテネによって生み出される。アテネの政治家ソロンは、自由、希望、慈悲、純潔、秩序の象徴としてオリーブの植林を立法し、市民の庭にはオリーブが多く植えられた。実は塩漬けにして食用として保存されるほか、油は髪や肌に塗り、その香りは体臭を消すなど健康維持のためにも使われた。とくに油は貿易商品として重要で、アテネ経済を潤したと推察される。古代ローマには紀元前7世紀ごろに伝わり、女神ミネルバ（アテネと同一視される）のシンボルとされた。また中国ではすでに唐代にその存在が知られ、当時は斉暾樹(さいとんじゅ)とよばれたが、現在の中国名は油橄欖(ゆかんらん)という。

［湯浅浩史　2021年7月16日］

[参照項目] | オリーブ油 | カンラン | 小豆島

オリーブ

オリーブの花

オリーブ（緑果塩蔵）

オリーブ（熟果塩蔵）

オリーブの栽培

小豆島オリーブ園

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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