According to the International Olive Council, “The fruit of the olive tree is a drupe. It has a bitter component (oleuropein), a low sugar content (2.6-6 percent) compared to other drupes (12 percent or more), and a high oil content (12-30 percent) depending on the season. of the year and the variety".

The unique composition of the olive tree has made it a staple on dining tables in most Mediterranean and Moorish homes. According to a study by the olive council, Egypt accounts for 14 percent of the world's olive production. The olive market in Egypt is considered a massive market, averaging 13.7 percent of world consumption from 2005 to 2011. And according to the council, Egypt's consumption was 300,000 tons during the 2011 olive cycle. -2012.

Hadeel El Deeb remembers that the olive trees were the center of his life since he was a baby. “There was always a plate of green olives with breakfast, as well as a salad of any kind with olives served with lunch and dinner. It was a tradition in our house from our ancestors.”

She recalls stories of her grandfather whom she never knew: “He would have a cup of olive oil as soon as he woke up, before he ate or drank anything else. He was known to have been a very strong man who aged well. He was skinny, but he was tough.”

The origin of olive trees is linked to the Mediterranean for thousands of years. The International Olive Council says: “Taking the area stretching from the southern Caucasus to the Iranian plateau and the Mediterranean coasts of Syria and Palestine (Acerbo) as the original home of the olive tree, its cultivation developed considerably in these last two regions. . , extending from there to the island of Cyprus and then to Anatolia or from the island of Crete to Egypt.”

Olive trees can be found in three areas of Egypt: North Sinai, Alexandria-Cairo Road, and Siwa. As olives are abundant in Egypt and its neighboring countries, the benefits that people associate with them are based on, but not limited to, tradition. The fruit has made its way into medical research.