Amongst the many crops that are grown on Tunisian soil, the olive industry is possibly the most important. It has had growing popularity due to its organic olive oil thriving in the international market.

During a 2-hour train ride from Hammamet to El Jem, there was not a gap in the horizon that was not covered in olive groves. In fact, about 1.8 million hectares, which is approximately 30% of Tunisian land is covered with olive groves. One hectare holds 17 olive trees, and each tree is separated by 24-meter distance between each tree. The reason for such distance is because most olive groves are harvested through natural means. This means no irrigation nor fertilization, apart from what the natural climate has to offer. Therefore, there is not enough water and the trees must have a significant distance from each other in order not to compete for resources.

The crop is so well adapted to its natural environment that Tunisia produces more than 30,000 tons of organic olive oil each year. It is the largest supplier of olive oil to the United States and the European Union.

I personally found the Tunisian olive quite disappointing. All olives I tried, no matter the region; were extremely bitter and nearly skinless. It feels like a betrayal on my behalf, considering it is held at such high esteem. However, based on my experience, I still wonder if I just had bad luck – consistently?