Society & Culture
Though it was not part of the last Olympics, olive oil wrestling is the national sport of Turkey, where an annual tournament has been held since 1346, making it the oldest continuously running, sanctioned sporting competition in the world. Following Greco-Roman traditions, contestants slather themselves in olive oil and try to come to grips with one another, a process which, before time limits were instituted, could go on for days. Now if your interest in olive oil involves giving an opponent the slip, it doesn’t make any difference how it tastes, if it’s pure, or even whether it’s rancid. But if, like me, your interest is culinary rather than athletic, you want the very best oil you can find. That’s why I recently headed down to the Hill Country of Texas. You might find it surprising that I would expect to find high quality olive oil in Texas, the land of barbecue, chili, and pecan pie, but it turns out they’re experiencing something of an oil boom in the Lone Star State—an olive oil