Olive oil is an essential part of Italian-American food culture, and is key to Italy’s economic livelihood. It may be simpler to name the Italian dishes you’d find on the Sunday Supper table that don’t use the ingredient, rather than the scores of recipes that do. With a taste so purely delicious, it’s understandable why most Italian Americans grew up dipping their bread in olive oil rather than buttering it.

It’s no surprise that Italy is one of the world leaders in olive oil production because of its prime location in the heart of the Mediterranean. However, Italy’s climate isn’t the only contributing factor to their success in the business. The Italians, the Romans and peoples before them have cultivated this liquid gold over thousands of years. There are olive trees in the southern region of Puglia that are centuries old.