Olive oil appears in all recipes of modern cuisine, but in the past, even in Puglia, despite being the region that produces the most oil in Italy, it was not commonly used.
My father used to tell me that his mother used lard as cooking fat, while extra virgin olive oil was used very sparingly and only raw.
They used a type of tin oil can with a long and narrow spout.
Since this precious food could not be wasted, a strand of wheat spike was placed at the outlet to further reduce the diameter.
Therefore, very little would come out, and people would say "to put a cross of oil," emphasizing its frugal use.
I was fortunate to live in a house where extra virgin olive oil was used for all cooking purposes since my father marketed it wholesale.