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Green Gold

Our favorite Lebanese olive oils

By Emily Carter


Published on October 24, 2014

Lebanon, home to some of the world's oldest olive trees, has been producing olive oil since the Bronze Age, or 3500 BC. Mild winters and temperate summers yield outstanding oils, some of which are available in the U.S. From left: Founded in 2012 by a restaurateur whose grandfather farmed olives in Lebanon, Oliver's Table Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($29 for a 17-oz. bottle) is wonderfully spicy, with a lingering, pungent, peppery finish. Litani Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($25 for a 29-oz. jug), pressed from olives from 600-year-old trees, has a subtly fruity flavor. Zejd Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($22 for a 17-oz. bottle) has grassy, nutty notes that shine in tabbouleh, while Eliunt Ahiram Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($45 for three 2-oz. bottles), an unfiltered oil from the Zgharta area in northern Lebanon, is intensely fragrant, with an aroma that hints at banana.

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