The Romans used olive oil as a tool of conquest. By planting olive trees in the territories under their control they were able to bind the economies of those lands with that of Rome. This also forced conquered peoples to settle down in one place and adopt roman culture. 2000 years after the Romans Spain is now the world’s largest producer of olive oil and is catching up with Italy in exports. Most of the "Italian" olive oil sold in the U.S. and Britain, in fact, is grown and processed in Spain. Spain produces around a million and a half tons of the golden liquid every year. There have never been that many trees in Italy even when the Romans were in power. BACK