More than just a food, olives are a delicious reminder of who we are and where we come from.
Since deep antiquity, olive trees have provided Mediterranean societies with precious sustenance, fuel, nutrition and materials. As a result, olives and humans have evolved together, creating unique ecological and cultural landscapes across the entire Mediterranean basin.
Consequently, each method of processing or preparing table olives reflects the creativity and resilience of the communities that cultivate and share them. Today, however, pressures brought on by factors like climate change, rural depopulation and globalisation mean that many of these processes and traditions are at risk of disappearing.
Through participatory storytelling and education, the Olives Around the Table project aspires to become a collaborative, living repository and digital archive of such traditions.
By highlighting the diverse ways that olives are prepared and enjoyed, the project aims to transform everyday knowledge into a rich cultural resource, weaving these diverse, disparate stories into a vibrant tapestry of shared cultural heritage.
Encouraging younger generations to engage with their land, their elders and their ancestors, this project also hopes to create an intergenerational bridge: one that can ensure that this simple yet deeply symbolic practice continues to connect communities, nurture memory, and celebrate the enduring bond between people, place, and nature.
Celebrate the people and places behind every table olive.
Project concept by Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat
Developed in collaboration with Gabriela Moscardini and David McKenzie
Olives Around the Table is an initiative of the broader Entangled Destiny project, supported by the National Geographic Society
In association with the European Forest Institute Mediterranean Facility (EFIMED)
For more information, please contact: contact.entangleddestiny@gmail.com
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