OKUSI MEDITERANA / FLAVOURS OF MEDITERRANEAN
Veličanstvena Maslina
Magnificent Olive
Maslina - mitska mediteranska biljka duge povijesti čiji su plod, ulje i list stoljećima korišteni u prehrambene i ljekovite svrhe. Smatra se čudesnom biljkom koja se spominje još u Bibliji i grčkoj mitologiji. Dugovječnost, otpornost i ljepota – sve je to sažeto u plodu masline.
Olive - mythical Mediterranean plant, the fruit, oil and leaves of which are being used for centuries for nutricious and medical purposes. It has been considered to be a miraculous plant mentioned in Bible and Greek mythology. Longevity, immunity and beauty - this is olive in few words.
Masline su plodovi zimzelenog drveta Olea europaea L., koje raste na čitavom području kako Mediterana, tako i hrvatskog primorja i Dalmacije. Prva stabla maslina kultivirana su još u prapovijesno doba, 4000 godina prije Krista na području srednje Azije. Maslinova stabla zasađena su i na istočnome Sredozemlju, gdje je proizvodnja maslinova ulja počela 2000 godina prije Krista.
The olive is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the Mediterranean, therefore native to Croatian coast and Dalmatia. First olive trees were cultivated 4000 BC in Asia. The olive culture spread and the olive oil production began in eastern Mediterranean area 2000 BC.
Plodovi maslina imaju mesnato usplođe puno ulja. Maslinovo ulje dobiva se postupkom mljevenja (gnječenja) i prešanja zrelih plodova masline. Ulje se može aromatizirati začinima, grančicama začinskog bilja i agrumima, kao što su npr. anis, češnjak, ružmarin, menta, borovica, kopar i limun. Najcjenjenije je ekstra djevičansko ulje ili prvo maslinovo ulje, koje je tamnozeleno, prozirno i bez trpka okusa. Kiselost najkvalitetnijeg ulja je (izraženo u oleinskoj kiselini) do 1%.
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The oil is produced by pressing whole olives. It can be aromatized with spices like anise, garlic, rosemary, mint, berry, dill or lemon. Extra virgin olive oil or fist olive oil has the best quality. It contains the largest amout of extractive (aromatic) substances and its colour is darkgreen and transparent. Acidity of the olive oil of high quality ranges up to 1% (oleic acid). Olive oil is the most important source of fat in Mediterranean diet which contains more vegetables than meat. Legends about the healing powers of olive oil trace long back