ABSTRACT
Almost every article, chapter and book on Roman food contains the overarching statement that the components of the Mediterranean triad, olive oil, wine and cereals, were the staple foods of the traditional Roman diet ( Jasny, 1950, 228–229; Garnsey, 1999, 13; Mattingly and Aldrete, 2000, 143; Aldrete, 2004, 111; Thurmond, 2006, 13; Bowman and Wilson, 2013, 23). On a basic nutritional level, these staples acted as vital sources of calories and/or good sources of nutrients. While the precise degree of reliance on each of the three products can be debated, as can the term ‘traditional Roman diet’, there can be no denying that olive oil played a crucial dietary and nutritional role for many of the people living within the Roman Empire. The literary and archaeological evidence for the trade and consumption of table olives and olive oil, the two main products derived from the fruit of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is extensive (Mattingly, 1988a; 1988b; 1988c; Blázquez, 1992; Funari, 1996; Rodríguez, 1998; Dalby, 2003, 238–240; Hitchner, 2002; Brun, 2003; 2004b; Flohr et al., 2013; Lewit, 2011; Marzano, 2013a; Rowan, 2015). The quantity of contemporary data on both the immediate and longterm nutritional benefits of the olive is similarly extensive (Harwood and Yaqoob, 2002; Stark and Madar, 2002; Wahle et al., 2004; Beauchamp et al., 2005; Bendini et al., 2007; Preedy and Watson, 2010; Süntar et al., 2010; Ghanbari et al., 2012; Hashmi et al., 2015). Consequently, it is now possible, with a high degree of precision and nuance, to understand from a nutritional perspective exactly how and why olives and olive oil were such vitally important foods. This chapter will examine the nutritional properties of table olives and olive oil in relation to levels of consumption and accessibility.
