About: Solve today's fun new puzzle and join us in the olive market. Olive trees have been cultivated for olive oil, fine wood, olive leaf, and the olive fruit since at least 5000 - 6000 years ago. As far back as 3000 BC, olives were grown commercially in Crete; they may have been the source of the wealth of the Minoan civilization. Olive trees in the groves around the Mediterranean Sea are centuries old, with some dated to 2000 years. The olive is one of the "trinity" or "triad" of basic ingredients in Mediterranean cuisine, the other two being wheat for bread, pasta, and couscous, and the grape for wine. Table olives are classified into three groups according to the degree of ripeness achieved before harvesting: green olives(usually shades of green to yellow), semiripe or turning-colour olives ( colour has begun to change from green to multicolour shades of red to brown) and black olives or ripe olives (assorted shades of purple to brown to black). One hundred grams of cured green olives provide 146 calories, are a rich source of vitamin E (25% of the Daily Value, DV), and contain a large amount of sodium (104% DV).
