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Isaac buys a plot of land with the intention of growing olive trees and producing olive oil in the ancient way of his ancestors. he wants everything to be authentic, so he plants a strain derived from wild olives. before isaac presses the olives to make his olive oil, what important step must he remember to replicate? roast the olives over an open fire. brine the olives in salt water. lay the olives in the sun to dry. soak the olives in lye solution.

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Final answer:

Before pressing olives into oil, Isaac should soak the olives in a lye solution, as this was part of the traditional preparation process in ancient times.

Step-by-step explanation:

Before Isaac presses the olives to make olive oil in the ancient way of his ancestors, it is important that he replicates the essential steps used in traditional methods. One historically accurate process for preparing olives before pressing would be to soak the olives in a lye solution. Ancient soap-making practices, which were akin to a preliminary treatment in the production of various goods like wool and oil, often utilized an alkaline solution like lye to create a soap-like substance that could have also been used in preparing olives. While roasting, brining, or drying could be part of other processes, soaking in lye would be crucial to ensure the resulting oil is pure and does not carry the bitterness from the olives' skins.

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