The olive tree and its oils in the Aix region: past and present

The olive tree, symbol of the Mediterranean… There is a land in Provence where this tree has acclimatised wonderfully. With this book, Patrick Boulanger invites us to discover the Pays d’Aix and its olive groves with their green-silver branches producing exceptional oils. “Oli de z-Ais, oil of Aix, the first in the world”, as Frédéric Mistral so eloquently stated.
Throughout these pages, illustrated by Alain Christof, the author tells us about the beautiful history of the olive tree and its fruits through the ages. We can see the resurgence of the sacred tree of the Greeks, the singing of the olivades, the turning of the blood mills…
We follow with interest the changes in Provençal olive growing. From the Salonenque and Aglandau olives, the universally appreciated fine oils were sent on the distant trade routes from the Empire of the Rising Sun to the New World.
Today, one cannot help but admire these men and women of courage and passion, perpetuating an age-old tradition, still committed to making the olive tree blossom again, despite the economic hazards.
To make them better known, Patrick Boulanger offers us in conclusion a route of the mills, those of Allauch, Auriol, Coudoux, Éguilles, Grans, La Fare, Pélissanne, Roquevaire and Velaux, the last ones to press the olive. Thanks to them, the Pays d’Aix remains a land of grand crus for virgin olive oil.