Across the Mediterranean, the olive tree has stood for millennia as a symbol of peace, resilience, and shared heritage. Today, as climate change, rural depopulation, and globalisation threaten to erode the traditions that once flourished around its fruit, a new initiative seeks to safeguard this living legacy. Olives Around the Table is an initiative of the broader Entangled Destiny project, supported by the National Geographic Society, and invites communities to come together in celebration of one of the region’s most enduring cultural practices: the preparation of table olives.
Through storytelling and community participation, Olives Around the Table transforms something as humble as a family recipe into a powerful act of preservation. The project aims to create a living repository and digital archive that captures the diverse ways olives are prepared, shared, and celebrated around the shores of the Mediterranean and beyond, turning household knowledge into collective cultural heritage.
“The way we prepare and enjoy olives tells the story of who we are and where we come from. Preserving these traditions means safeguarding a living Mediterranean heritage. Through this project, we aim to create a Mediterranean map filled with recipes and stories, celebrating the diversity and richness of our natural and cultural heritage,” explains project idealizer Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat, scientist and conservationist.
The initiative also seeks to bridge generations, encouraging younger people to engage with their elders, listen to their stories, and learn from their hands. In doing so, Olives Around the Table aspires to weave together the past and the future: connecting people, place, and nature through the shared act of preparing and enjoying olives.
How to Participate
Everyone is invited to contribute to this growing mosaic of Mediterranean memory. Do you know someone with a traditional olive preparation method? Perhaps you have a cherished family recipe passed down through generations, or maybe you’ve put your own spin on a beloved grandma’s recipe. Now is the perfect time to share it!
- Share your family’s recipe or story. Tell us how your community prepares table olives, or interview someone who keeps this knowledge alive.
- Submit your entry. Fill in our short questionnaire (available in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Arabic) and send it along with photos or videos.
- See your story featured. Your contribution will appear on our interactive online map, joining others from across the region to form a digital celebration of Mediterranean identity.
Participate and help preserve a living heritage that continues to unite the Mediterranean through taste, tradition, and togetherness.
