Olive you!

I love olives. I think I could probably survive for days on a steady diet of olives, fresh bread and some good wine. 😂

So what better part of the world is there for an olive lover than Southern Spain?

I can’t remember the exact statistics but something like 40% of the world’s olive production comes from Spain, and within Spain, 70% of production is in the Andalusia Region. Olives are everywhere and usually part of every meals appetizer. They are as ubiquitous in Spanish cuisine as tortilla chips and salsa are in Tex-Mex cuisine (only better for your health).

As we travel through the country by rail, the evidence of production is abundant and overwhelming. Olive orchards (farms?) are literally everywhere and are visible for miles and miles as far as the eye can see across Andalusia.

And as for olive prices?

Let me put it this way…

First, take a look at the amount and variety available from this vendor in Tangier’s Medina market last Saturday.

Despite the language barrier I knew that I couldn’t walk away without buying at least something. So, without knowing how much I was buying I motioned to him that I wanted 20 dirham (about $2 USD) worth of the green olives seasoned with garlic.

He proceeded fill up half a small shopping bag that turned out to be about the size of two quart sized ziplock bags! It was so many that I wasn’t sure how we were going to finish them before our departure the following morning.

Luckily, Spain has no issues with people bringing in foreign olives, so we’ve been snacking on them all week (today is Wednesday, four days later) and still have some remaining as we pull into Madrid, where I have a feeling they will be much more expensive! 😂

And by the way, these might just be the best tasting olives I’ve ever enjoyed. Maybe we should save some of those olive pits for planting when we get back home. We’ll have to see what customs has to say about that. 🙄