Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained by pressing whole olives, the fruit
of Olea europaea, a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin,
and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking, for frying foods
or as a salad dressing. It can also be found in some cosmetics,
pharmaceuticals, soaps, and fuels for traditional oil lamps. It also has
additional uses in some religions. The olive is one of three core food
plants in Mediterranean cuisine, together with wheat and grapes. Olive
trees have been grown around the Mediterranean since the 8th millennium
BC. Spain is the world's largest producer, manufacturing almost half of
the world's olive oil.