The internet is full of fabulous facts about everything from current events to the history basket weaving. Because of this, as we research for our daily content on food trucks, food carts and street food, we stumble upon some items of knowledge that we just did not know. We have decided when these fun facts pop up, that we would share them with our readers in our section titled “Did You Know?”

For today’s Did You Know fun food facts we will look at Olive Oil.

The Facts: Olive oil is technically a fruit juice rather than an oil. The olives are pressed to release their juices just like an orange or a lemon be pressed.

• The olive tree is native to the Mediterranean, where olive oil has been an important part of life for thousands of years.
• In Ancient Greece, women applied olive oil to their skin and hair after bathing as protection from the elements and to maintain a pleasant fragrance.
• Extra virgin is the highest quality and most expensive form of olive oil. It comes from the first pressing of the olives. It is the least acidic and has the fruitiest flavor.
• Spain is the world’s largest overall producer of olive oil. Italy is second.
• Greece is the world’s largest producer of extra-virgin olive oil. Italy and Spain come in second and third in the extra-virgin race.
• There is an International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) that creates quality guidelines, guarantees authenticity, and promotes olive oil around the world.
• Olive oil is high in healthy monounsaturated fats. It has a 10:1 ratio of fatty acids: 10% Omega-6 and 1% Omega-3 fatty acids.