Olive oil has manifested itself in everything from money to medicine. Its first recorded mention was by Hippocrates, who called it “the great therapeutic." And for more than 6,000 years, the nutritional, aesthetic and medicinal benefits of olive oil have been recognized by the people of the Mediterranean, where 99 percent of all olive oil is produced. Recent research has now provided evidence that a diet rich in olive oil can help sustain human metabolism and keep a constant level of vitamin E in our bodies.

In the U.S., olive oil consumption has increased in popularity. Once considered a “specialty food,” olive oil is pouring into households across the nation – reaching more than $1.4 billion in sales in 2007. What’s more, 70 percent of households use the product. As olive oil consumption rates increase, the flavorful fruit has turned up in a host of unlikely places. From popcorn to potato chips, even French fries, these unique pairings have provided healthful and innovative products consumers can’t seem to resist.

Olive oil’s most probable origin is Ancient Greece. Today there are more than 1,000 olive varieties that exist in the world, with approximately 25 percent residing in Spain. Olive trees begin producing fruit at five or 10 years of age and can live up to 1,500 years. The juice is squeezed from the olive and becomes a paste. The oil is then extracted from that paste using a hydraulic press. It takes approximately 10 pounds of olives to produce just one quart of oil!

The grade of the olive oil is based on extraction method and a variety of attributes, including chemical composition, acidity and flavor. Virgin, for example, means the oil was extracted by physical means only, has an acidity level of less than 2 percent and is judged to have a good taste.

This past year, Land O’Lakes joined the olive oil trend, introducing Butter with Olive Oil – an all-natural butter blend with 45 percent less saturated fat and 50 percent less cholesterol and per serving compared to traditional butter. What’s more, it contains zero grams of trans fat. Through our research, we found that olive oil combines deliciously with the great taste of butter, creating a product that is more spreadable and better for consumers.

It is quite obvious that Americans have added olive oil to their cooking repertoire, but until now, they haven’t been able to take advantage of its benefits when sautéing vegetables, preparing a meal or simply spreading butter on toast. The introduction of this new product has revamped this popular dairy delight’s hallowed place in the American kitchen—making butter a unique and innovative pairing with a worldwide dietary staple.

– This post was written by Peggy Ellingson, Vice President, Super Spreads and Marketing Research for Land O'Lakes, Inc. It was published as a guest column in the September 2009 issue of Foodie News.