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Olive Oil
How a single substance organizes
daily cooking in Tunisian households.
A Default, Not a Decision
Olive oil is assumed.
It is used for frying, dressing, finishing, preserving, and eating with bread.
There is no need to decide which fat to use.
The question does not arise.
One substance performs many roles.
Bread, Oil, Meal
Some meals do not require assembly.
Bread and oil are sufficient to begin eating.
Nothing else needs to be prepared.
This pairing is not framed as minimal.
It is treated as complete.
Food does not need to announce itself.
Simplification of the Kitchen
Because olive oil works across tasks, kitchens remain simple.
There is no separation between oils for heat, oils for flavor, or oils for storage.
The same substance moves through all stages of cooking.
This reduces inventory.
It reduces decision-making.
It reduces error.
Continuity Across Time
Olive oil does not demand immediate use.
It stores well.
It remains usable across months.
This allows households to buy in quantity, to plan less often, and to rely on what is already present.
Time is absorbed into the system.
What This Makes Possible
Because olive oil functions as a default, food becomes predictable.
Meals assemble more easily.
Mistakes are fewer.
Attention is freed.
One substance carries multiple functions so that daily life does not need to.
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