A Short History of Olive Oil: Origin of Virgin and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Origins and Early Use

Olive oil has been central to Mediterranean culture for millennia, cultivated for over 6,000 years. In ancient Greece, it was valued less as a food and more as a versatile and sacred commodity. Greeks used it to anoint skin — especially athletes, who rubbed oil onto their bodies before competitions — burned it in lamps for light, and offered it to the gods as a symbol of purity.

Roman Refinement and Grading

The Romans transformed olive oil into both a culinary staple and a major economic product. While it retained roles in cosmetics, medicine, and ritual, Roman agriculture and trade made it a dietary cornerstone — especially for the wealthy.

They developed a precise classification system based on harvest stage and fruit condition, which serves as a foundation for today’s standards:

• Oleum ex albis ulivis (today’s Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil) — the most prized oil, pressed from first green olives. Low acidity with high polyphenols and pungency.
• Oleum viride (today’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil) — high-quality oil from olives just beginning to change colour. Fruity and balanced.
• Oleum maturum (Virgin Olive Oil or lower-end EVOO) — oil from fully ripe black olives with a softer flavour profile.
• Oleum caducum — mediocre oil made from fallen olives.
• Oleum cibarium — poor-quality oil, sometimes from pest-damaged fruit, often fed to slaves or used for lamps and industrial purposes.

This grading reflected a clear social hierarchy of consumption: the elite favoured the freshest and most delicately flavoured oils, while coarser grades went to the lower classes or for non-food use.

Expansion Across the Roman Empire

Under Roman rule, olive cultivation spread widely — from Hispania (modern Spain) and North Africa to the Levant. The Romans built extensive infrastructure of presses, storage amphorae, and trade networks, turning olive oil into one of the empire’s most important commodities.

Large-scale olive groves and sophisticated transport routes helped establish olive oil as a cornerstone of Mediterranean commerce and daily life.

The Origins of Virgin and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The modern terms virgin and extra virgin olive oil have their roots in these ancient Roman classifications.

Today, extra virgin olive oil refers to the highest quality oil, extracted mechanically without heat or chemicals and with very low acidity. Oils made from greener, earlier-harvest olives tend to contain higher levels of antioxidants and polyphenols, giving them the peppery, complex flavour associated with premium olive oil.

Virgin olive oil remains a slightly lower grade but is still produced naturally without refining.

Although modern production methods are more advanced, the core idea remains remarkably similar to Roman times: the quality of olive oil depends heavily on the condition and ripeness of the fruit when pressed.

Lasting Legacy

From sacred Greek offerings to Rome’s graded delicacies, olive oil’s evolution reflects the refinement, trade, and social order of Mediterranean civilisation.

What began as a ritual and practical substance became one of the world’s most enduring culinary traditions. Today, whether drizzled over bread, used in cooking, or enjoyed as a finishing oil, extra virgin olive oil still carries thousands of years of history in every bottle.