Empeltre has been cultivated by the Phoenicians and Romans in our territory for centuries
The benefits of extra virgin olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil is obtained when the olives are harvested just at their color change, when they turn from green to purple. The ideal months for harvesting are November and December. At this time, the olives stand out especially for their intense flavor and aroma
What are the health benefits? From a nutritional point of view, it is an excellent oil to contribute to our well-being. Some of its most notorious benefits are:
High antioxidant properties.
High antioxidant properties
High concentration of vitamins, especially vitamins A, D and E.
High content of vitamins A, D and E.
High antioxidant properties
High content of polyphenols, known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
High content of polyphenols, known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
High level of oleic acid and monounsaturated fats, which improve the absorption of nutrients, help the defenses and lower cholesterol and triglycerides.
High level of oleic acid and monounsaturated fats, which improve the absorption of nutrients, help the defenses and lower cholesterol and triglycerides
Most important varieties of olives in Spain
There are as many varieties of Olive Oils as there are varieties of olive trees and their fruits dedicated to oil extraction. And Spain is the world's leading producer of EVOO
It is of great importance to the olive oil industry
It is of great importance the distinction between "variety" and "quality" in Olive Oils: two different species of olive tree will produce oil of different variety that nevertheless can be of the same quality.
It is of great importance the distinction between "variety" and "quality" in Olive Oils: two different species of olive tree will produce oil of different variety that however can be of the same quality
In Spain, more than 250 cultivated varieties and different olive trees have been catalogued since the beginning of their cultivation in the Iberian Peninsula. However, not all of these olive varieties are cultivated equally and just over 20 have been widely spread. Only four varieties account for 60% of olive cultivation, and just one of them, the Picual variety, produces practically half of the Spanish oil and almost 100% of the oil in the province of Jaén
With all this great variety of olive trees it is possible to obtain oils that come from a single variety of olive.
With all this great variety of olive trees it is possible to obtain oils that come from a single variety of olive
However, there are also oils in which two or more oils (obtained from a single olive variety) have been blended in specific proportions to complement and shape the sensory characteristics in the resulting oil
These are some of the most well-known varieties used in Spain:
- Arbequina: The most representative of Catalonia, it produces fruity oils, between greenish and yellow, with aromas of apple and fresh almond, soft and sweet. The plant is not very vigorous, with long shoots and little branched. The leaf is grooved and broadened at the apex, while the fruit is small, oval and almost symmetrical
- Cornicabra: It dominates the entire central area (Toledo, Ciudad Real and Madrid). Its oils are greenish yellow to gold. Fresh aromas and taste between sweet, bitter and somewhat spicy. The tree is of medium vigor with medium length branches and little bud formation. The leaf is long and lanceolate and the fruit is long curved, asymmetrical and with a horn-shaped belly.
- The fruit is long curved, asymmetrical and with a horn-shaped belly
- Empeltre: Typical olive from Lower Aragon. It is used to produce oils with a color between straw yellow and old gold. It has aromas of fruit, especially apple and a mild, sweet flavor. It is a very vigorous tree with erect branches and wide and somewhat warped leaves. The fruit is asymmetrical and elongated.
- Hojiblanca: Dominant variety in Malaga and Cordoba, with double aptitude for oil and table. It gives oils of intense green color, with aromas of ripe fruits and hints of avocado, presenting a pleasant flavor with slight bitter and spicy notes. The vigor of the tree is medium to good with a medium dense canopy. The leaf is elongated and partially ribbed and the fruit is large and oblong in size
- Picual: The predominant variety in Jaén. Its oil has great stability and personality, strength, fruitiness, an intense bitterness and clear spicy tones. The vigor of the tree is good, with vigorous canopies and great foliage development. The leaf is elongated and the fruit is ellipsoidal
- Picudo: or picuda, also known as carrasqueña de Córdoba. This variety is widespread in the provinces of Cordoba, Granada, Malaga and Jaen. Its oil is delicate to oxidation. Light flavors and aromas reminiscent of exotic fruits, as well as apple and almonds can be found
- Farga: A variety native to the south of Tarragona and north of Castellón and some in the province of Teruel. Its trees are very vigorous, open bearing, with straight branches somewhat pendulous. They have a leafy crown, where the fruits are sometimes isolated. The fruits are small to medium sized and hang from a long peduncle. They ripen early and are highly resistant to detachment. The fat yield is high (26-28%), with very good quality oils
- Blanqueta: It is grown in Alicante and southern Valencia. It produces oils with a green leaf tone and fruity aromas with notes of green tomato. In the mouth it develops spicy and slightly bitter sensations. The tree is not very vigorous with short branches, the leaf is short and lanceolate and the fruit is somewhat oval and slightly asymmetrical
- Cacereña: Also called Manzanilla cacereña due to its diffusion in the province of Cáceres. It is a variety of double aptitude and very appreciated for dressing, both green and black, for the quality of its pulp. It is a tree of low vigor, with early flowering and ripening. Its leaves are flat and of medium length and the fruits are spherical in shape, although somewhat asymmetrical
- Verdial de Badajoz: It is present in the fertile plains of the Guadiana. It produces oils with aromas of green olives and nuts (almonds). In the mouth it stands out for its sweetness. The tree is drought resistant and is used as a rootstock. The fruit is of large size and is of double aptitude
- Lechín de Sevilla: It is distributed mainly in the provinces of Seville and Cordoba. Its oil is relatively unstable with a medium and balanced aroma and a bitter taste. The tree is vigorous with short branches and a thick crown. The leaf is short and almost flat and the fruit is ellipsoidal and somewhat convex on the back
- Manzanilla: It is grown in the province of Seville, mainly in the vicinity of the capital. The tree is not very vigorous and the crown is not very dense. The leaves are short and thick and the fruit is oval. It is mainly used as an olive for dressing
- Gordal: Without a doubt, this is one of the most famous olive varieties in the world. Gordal Sevillana is mainly used to produce table olives that stand out for their large size, which is what sets them apart from all other varieties. It is grown mainly in Seville, although it was successfully cultivated in other areas of Spain. It is generally not used to produce olive oil due to its low fat yield.
- It is not generally used to produce olive oil due to its low fat yield
Harvesting and Transport
From the olive tree to reach our tables the Extra Virgin Olive Oil, follows the following steps for its production, harvesting and transport of olive:
The Pickup and Transport of Olive Oil
The collectionof olives destined for milling. The collection of olives usually begins in the months of November and December and normally concludes in the months of January and February. It is necessary to collect the olives as they reach maturity and not later because otherwise the fruit can be chopped and the quality of the oil would decrease. Although it should also be noted that, in order to obtain a higher quality oil, it is increasingly opting for an earlier harvest
There are different ways of harvesting the olives to avoid damaging them, since this would affect the quality of the oil:
- Ordeño hand picking, one by one. Normally this mode of harvesting is used to collect table olives.
- Picking by hand
- Shaking: the trunk or branches of the olive tree are shaken so that the fruit can be detached. This method is done mechanically, either through vibrators mounted on tractors or other means, or other small machines. It is also important to note that, although in recent years this method helps to harvest the olive more easily and quickly, it can also damage the olive tree.
- Vare the olive tree
- Vareo the most important and traditional. It consists of gently hitting the branches of the olive tree so that the ripe olives fall. In the "vareo" the olive tree is hit with a stick of about four meters, laterally and from top to bottom. Formerly the beating of the olive tree was done with wooden rods, these were replaced by the current polyester rods. Also in this way of harvesting is usually placed a net or "shawl" under the top of the olive tree so that the olives fall into it and to collect them do not get mixed with stones and soil from the ground, thus obtaining the olive directly from the tree and therefore of quality
The Transport of olives should be done immediately after harvesting, since the fruits must be processed within 24 hours at most to retain all its properties and obtain a higher quality oil. Currently, for the transport of olives, many oil mills offer the possibility for farmers to transport olives directly from the olive tree, i.e. olives that have not fallen to the ground and have not been mixed with earth and stones, in order to obtain the desired quality oil. The traditional facilities where olive oil is extracted are called mills, a name derived from the Arabic al-mas'sara, which means to extract or to print. One should avoid piling the olives high to avoid heating and fermentations.
Which means to extract or press
Selection and Washing
Once the olives have arrived at the mill, the next step is to prepare the fruit to reach the extraction of the fruit, by means of the selection and washing of olives.
The SELECTION
Before starting to manipulate the olives, they are distributed according to their characteristics to elaborate the extra virgin olive oil. A good oil is obtained only from healthy, ripe and whole olives
WASHING
Once the olives are on the conveyor belts or lines, they cross a ventilation area that separates the leaves and branches that they may have.
The olives are then washed
They are then washed with potable water to remove any impurities, mud or stones
Extraction
MILLING consists of crushing and breaking the whole olive (without pitting) in order to facilitate the extraction and separation of the oil it contains. Nowadays, metal mills or crushers are used, which can be in the form of a toothed wheel or a hammer
In the past, a stone mill was used for milling
The BATIDO
The olive mass or paste obtained in the mill is beaten in order to promote the release of the oil. The oil droplets agglutinate to form a larger and more easily separable phase from the aqueous phase (olive water) and the solid phase or pomace (skin, pulp and broken pits)
The beating temperature should not exceed 30º C so that the aromatic compounds are not lost and the oxidation processes are not accelerated.
The main advantage of this product was that it could be used in the production process
Its main advantage was that it crushed the olives without causing emulsions or heating, eliminating the risk of contamination by metals, but it was a slow and expensive method.
CENTRIFUGING
To completely separate the oil from the alpechín (water) and pomace, the olive paste is placed in a vacuum centrifuge. By spinning the paste at high speed, the pomace, water and oil are separated by a difference in density
Preservation
