The Mujaddara pot was packed and ready, in addition to a small jar of olives and some bread. It was winter in that Palestinian mountain village in the Galilee, and Abla Hussein – 86 years old now – was a child at that time, no more than 7 or 8 years old. Abla and her family prepared to walk for about an hour until The olive grove is where they will spend the whole day, and so every day during the 3-month olive harvest.
The olives they planted were full of oil, Abla says: “There was a lot of oil inside, and the oil was so sweet it just slipped down your throat
Al-Rama olive oil was known as the best in the country and even the entire region, and it is the essence of the village’s identity. When it comes out fresh from the press, it looks like a bright golden liquid. Its flavor reminds you of wild herbs and dandelion leaves that grow around olive trees. People describe this oil as ripe and smooth as butter .
While southeastern Spain, Italy became the two largest commercial olive oil-producing areas in the world, with Ramah located on the border – places that also cultivated olives, dating back to 5000 BC.