How Extra Virgin Olive Oil Got its Name

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,

We’d like to interrupt your day for some quick wisdom from your kitchen… I bet you didn’t know there is some fantastic ancient history just sitting on your shelves! This was sent in from one of our dear readers, Al Padilla, perfect for today:

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A LESSON IN ROMAN HISTORY

While scrounging around the kitchen to find some components from which to make lunch, I came across a bottle of Olive Oil.

Now, what could be the origin of the odd descriptor it bore? I immediately scoured the entire Internet, the ultimate source of truth and wisdom, and as a result, was able to reconstruct the following story, solving a 2000-year-old mystery:

Ancient Roman religion required that six virgins serve in the temple of Vesta, tending her sacred, eternal hearth-fire. There could be neither more nor fewer than six Vestal Virgins. However, a few days before a major festival procession, one of the Vestal priestesses became grievously ill, and was not expected to survive. A replacement was urgently sought, and a young girl was found and consecrated. Unexpectedly though, through the divine intervention of the goddess Vesta herself, the ailing priestess was miraculously restored to perfect health. But this created a potential numerical sacrilege: The recently-inducted young girl could not serve in the temple, nor could she be de-consecrated. After much deliberation, it was decided to send the supernumerary virgin outside the city to supervise the olive presses. Under her able supervision, the olive oil became famous throughout the known world for its quality. While she (obviously!) had no descendants, her namesake brand continues to this day, more than 2000 years later.

For those who prefer the Latin:

ROMANA RELIGIO POSTULAVIT UT IN TEMPLO VESTAE SEX VIRGINES IGNEM EIUS SACRUM AETERNUMQUE COLERENT. NEC PLURES NEC PAUCIORES ESSE POSSENT QUAM SEX VIRGINES VESTALES. SED PAUCIS DIEBUS ANTE DIEM FESTUM MAIORIS POMPAE, UNA SACERDOS VESTALIS GRAVITER AEGROTAVIT NEC EXPECTABATUR SUPERESSE. SUBSECUTIO INSTANTER QUAESITA EST, ET INVENTA PUELLA CONSECRATAQUE EST.

INOPINATO, DEA VESTA DIVINO INTERVENTU SACERDOTEM LANGUIDAM MIRACULOSE SANAVIT. SED HOC SACRILEGIUM NUMERICUM CREAVIT: NUPER INDUCTA PUELLA IN TEMPLO SERVIRE NON POTERAT, NEC DE-CONSECRARI POTERAT. POST MULTAM DELIBERATIONEM, PLACUIT SUPRANUMERARIAM VIRGINEM EXTRA URBEM MITTERE, UT TORCULAR OLIVAE CURARET.

SUB EIUS VIGILANTIA, OLEUM OLIVAE PROPTER EXIMIAM QUALITATEM PER ORBEM CLARUIT. CUM PLANE NULLAM HABERET POSTERITATEM, NOTA EIUS NOMINIS USQUE AD HUNC DIEM DURAT, PLUS QUAM DUO MILIA ANNORUM.

All the best,

Anya Leonard

Founder and Director
Classical Wisdom and Classical Wisdom Kids

P.S. Happy April Fools!

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