Liquid Gold & Silver

I’ve spent most of my career in international affairs learning about history and the human experience in our current moment in time. I’ve worked in difficult and fascinating places like Afghanistan and Sudan, and also toured incredible coffee, tea and cacao farms in places like Colombia, Rwanda and Grenada.

For an international history geek, olive oil is one of those magical foods that has always felt like living history, like the Coelecanth - unchanged for ages. An olive tree in the Cretan town of Ano Vouves in Greece has tree rings dating back to at least 2000 years (as old as 4000 years according to the University of Crete) - and is still producing olives. The golden liquid on your table might have the same origin story - from the same tree even - as that served to a Greek general before heading into battle two millennia ago.

Balsamic vinegar too is as old as winemaking, but more precious to the typical Italian family. In Modena, a barrel of balsamic was begun in the attic at the birth of a child, as a future dowry gift many years later. The shell of grapes (the “must”) would be cooked down and left to thicken and evaporate in barrels, replaced with a little fresh balsamic every year. Today, the process to make traditional balsamic is unchanged, and the finest balsamic vinegars of Modena are more valuable than their weight in silver.

History and taste are not the only draw. Olive oil is a superfood at the core of the world’s healthiest diet (Mediterranean), and the extra virgin variety is chock full of compounds including Polyphenols that are scientifically proven to fight inflammation, heart disease, cancer, even diabetes, and help with weight management and brain function. Balsamic likewise has anti-inflammatory properties and is excellent for gut regulation and heart health, as well as regulating blood sugar.