Content
- Olive - Ancient cultivated plant with a great variety of varieties
- Distinction between table and oil olives
- Spanish olive varieties
- The main Spanish varieties
- Italian olive varieties
- Greek olive varieties
- Other growing areas
- Tips & Tricks
Olive - Ancient cultivated plant with a great variety of varieties
The olive tree has been cultivated since the fourth millennium BC, as evidenced by numerous archaeological investigations in the Mediterranean region. The crop had (and still has) great economic importance for the very different regions. It is estimated that there are over 1000 different varieties of olive, with a large number being distributed only locally - that is, limited to individual villages.
Distinction between table and oil olives
As a rule, olives are divided into types of table and oil. Table olives are intended for consumption and have as small a kernel as possible, while oils are bred to a high oil content. All varieties mature but black, the green olives are harvested only before the final maturity. Olives grow throughout the Mediterranean, but also in California, Argentina, South Africa and Australia. The plant prefers a dry, Mediterranean climate, which must neither be too cold nor too hot.
Spanish olive varieties
Spain is by far the largest producer of olives, only from this region are about 200 to 250 different olive varieties known.
The main Spanish varieties
The most important edible olives are Gordal, Hojiblanca and Manzanilla olives. Due to their size and mild taste, "Gordal" oil fruits are also commercially available as "Queen Olive" or "Jumbo Olive". The manzanilla olives are also very large, as their name ("small apple") indicates. Olives of the variety "Hojiblanca" come from the sun-drenched Andalusia and may not be missing there on any tapas plate.
Italian olive varieties
An even greater variety of varieties than in Spain, there are still in Italy, here are an estimated 440 different olives known. They differ in appearance, size and taste. In Sicily, for example, "Frantoio", "Leccio" or "Cipressino" are bred. In the northwest Italian coastal region of Liguria, on the other hand, "Taggiasca" is at home. The variety is characterized by a fine olive scent with a mild fruit flavor. The aftertaste of almonds and pine nuts is mild. From the region of Apulia originate the olive varieties "Coratina" and "Ogliorola".
Greek olive varieties
Greece is not only considered the home of democracy, but also the country of origin of the cultivated oil crop. Many years ago the Sumerians probably brought the wild olive to the Mediterranean, so the Greeks grew the oil crop into a productive crop. Even today, there are about 20 million olive trees on the island of Crete alone. Popular Greek olive varieties are the very aromatic Kalamata, Konservolia and the oil variety Koroneiki, whose oil has a delicate, harmonious fragrance and a light lemon flavor.
Other growing areas
From southern France comes the oil type "Cailletier" whose oil has a fresh, fine taste of nuts. Like "Aglandou," she is self-pollinating. Incidentally, "Aglandou" tolerates light frost very well. From Turkey come the varieties "Edremit" and "Gemlik", which are mainly processed into oil. Other olive varieties come from North Africa, with Tunisia being one of the largest producers outside the European Union, Croatia, Syria and Israel. The plantations outside the Mediterranean region are not their own varieties but only exports.
Tips & Tricks
The listed oil and edible olives are joined by numerous wild species or subspecies. For the breeding of a bonsai olive is especially the wild olive tree, also Oleaster (Olea europaea ssp. Sylvestris). This tree or shrub has a picturesque, gnarled appearance.