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Italy Olive Oil
Like fine wine, each variety of olive is unique, and therefore olive oil
made from different varieties of olives tastes, smells, and looks different.
Even the same varieties grown in different regions can have a different
taste and aroma. Each producer of fine olive oil takes care to select the
very best olives and blend the oils from selected varieties in a way that
makes his oil worthy of tasting.
Abruzzo:
The main olive oil producing areas of Abruzzo are the Valli del Tordino e del Vomano,
Valle del Tavo, Chietino, and Conca di Sulmona. These areas are mainly valleys rising up
from the Adriatic into the rugged mountains of the region.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia:
Friuli-Venezia Giulia is not usually considered an olive oil producing region
because, like the Veneto, it is made up of flat coastal plains. But in the hills to the
north and the east are fine olive and wine producing areas. In fact, the white wines of
Friuli are among Italy's best, and best kept secret.
One characteristic of this region is the influence of the Istrian hills of Slovenia and
Croatia to the north and east of Friuli. This mix of cultures carries through to the food,
wine, and olive oil of the region.
Liguria:
Being coastal, Liguria is associated with excellent seafood. Liguria's olives include the
Taggiasca and Opalino varieties. The oils tend to be sweet and light, which makes them an
excellent accompaniment with seafood.
Puglia - Apulia:
Puglia (sometimes called Apulia in English) produces more olive oil than any other single
region but most goes into the mass-produced oils rather than the estate bottled, high quality
oils we prefer. There are some note-worthy oils from this region, though, so don't discount
Puglia.
The olives used in Puglese oils are Coratina, Provenzale, Ogliarola, and others. The oils in
the region around Bari, a busy port city, are fruity and light. In the area of Bitonto, the
oils are closer in taste to fresh olives, with a slight almond taste.
Sicily - Sicilia:
Olive oils from the coast regions of Sicilia often have intense flavors. From the region
around Ragusa, the oils tend to have more body and are more fruity. From the hills of Sicilia,
the oils tend to be more well rounded, particularly the oils from the Belice river valley near
Menfi. In other words, Sicilian oil is as varied as the region itself.
The olive varieties include Belice, Biancolilla, Moresca, Cerasuola, Nocellara, and Tonda Iblea.
Toscana - Tuscany:
Toscana, or Tuscany in English, is considered the classic olive oil region of Italy by many.
The oils of Lucca and the Chianti regions of Toscana are best known.
The oils produced in the area around Lucca, near the coast, tend to be yellow, light and fluid.
In the Chianti region, near Siena in the heart of Toscana, the oils tend to be more green, and
spicy with hints of artichoke and pepper. Further south in the area around Montalcino, the oils
tend to be deeper colors, more rustic, and more intense flavors.
Trentino - Alto Adige:
There are esssentially no olive trees grown in the Alto Adige region, but Trentino produces
some find oils, particularly in the area around Lago Guarda, just to the southwest of Trento and
northwest of Verona.
The oils of Trentino tend to be lighter than in other regions.
Umbria:
Umbria's olive oils are made from the olives of the Frantoio, Leccino, Moraiolo, and Agogia
and Raggiola varieties. The oils tend to have an artichoke and green tomato aroma, and sometimes
have the peppery taste of Tuscan oils. Many of the Umbrian oils have a fruity flavor with a great
deal of body.
Veneto:
Veneto is a coastal area and not well known for olive trees but better known for its famous
cities -- Venezia (Venice), Padova (Padua) and Verona. What is also interesting is the wide
variety of terrain, from the marshes of Venezia to the high mountains of the Dolomites. In
between are beautiful hills full of olive trees and vineyards.
The olive oil of the Veneto is mostly produced in the area to the east of Lago di Guarda, along
the Adige river and eastward.
Courtesy of
Olio2go.com
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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