Olive oil and wine are the exalted products produced from the humble olive and grape. They are symbols of ancient Israel as much as of the Start Up Nation of today. The ancient Israelites and modern day Israelis would have been equally familiar with the importance of olive oil and wine, both for nourishment and trade. The olive grove and vineyard have always been planted where the soils were too stony or unfertile for other crops and fruit trees. To see a vineyard and olive grove in close proximity is always a thing of great beauty in my eyes. They are partners in crime and go together like salt and pepper or tehina and hummus. The Book of Deuteronomy refers to a land of olive oil and wine. Both were one of the Seven Blessed Species. In fact the vine and olive tree are symbols not just of Israel but of the Mediterranean as a whole. Thucydides wrote that man became civilized when he began to cultivate the olive tree and vine.
