Not Italy Or Greece: This Country Produces Most Of The World's Olive Oil

Poke around the majority of American pantries and, chances are, you'll find a bottle or two of olive oil. It has become a culinary staple since the 1970s, with consumption growing by more than 1,320% between then and the 2020s, thanks to the rise of dedicated food channels and celebrities like Martha Stewart, who insists we need these two kinds of olive oil in our kitchens. Although millions of home cooks have been switched on to this ancient Mediterranean ingredient, it might surprise you to know that the oil in your bottle probably comes from Spain, rather than Italy or Greece. 

According to data for the 2023/24 crop year, Spain produced 854,000 tonnes of olive oil, more than twice that of Italy, accounting for around 60% of European production and 39.4% worldwide. If you're wondering where the bulk of Spanish olive oil ends up, the answers are: Italy and the United States. Sure, California is the center of our domestic production, but the 2 to 4 million gallons generated per harvest is a literal drop in the olive oil ocean, hence the reliance on imports, especially from Spain. But are U.S. consumers getting the good stuff? 

As well as being a prolific producer of olive oil, more than 300 different kinds of olives are grown across Spain. Among the most popular and well-regarded are the hojiblanca, picual, and arbequina olives. Just as the land where grapes are grown affects the wine they produce, each variety of olive takes on what the French call the "terroir" of the regions, ranging from sun-drenched Andalusia and more verdant Catalonia, to the drier Extremadura flatlands in the east.

Eighty percent of Spain's olive oil comes from Andalusia, a region in the southernmost part of the country, with the best made from olives grown in Sierra de Cazorla. Its bitter yet fruity EVOO is good quality and would be a great way to enhance your next dessert.

While we shouldn't always buy EVOO for every recipe, it's worth knowing what to look for when searching for the real thing. The type of EVOO produced in Spain's Sierra de Cádiz is among the country's most flavorful, and if sustainability is important to you, the majority of it is grown under organic conditions. The next time you reach for your olive oil, it's worth taking a look at the label to see just how far it has travelled.