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Olive oil touring in southern Spain
Picturesque seas of olive trees in Jaén province, in the southern part of Spain
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Picturesque seas of olive trees in Jaén province, in the southern part of Spain. (thejakartapost.com/Keshie Hernitaningtyas)" border="0" height="359" width="639">Picturesque seas of olive trees in Jaén province, in the southern part of Spain. (thejakartapost.com/Keshie Hernitaningtyas)As the worldâs top olive oil producer, some parts of Spain are home to picturesque seas of olive trees.
Up to 220 million olive trees can be found in the country, making it home to the globeâs largest cultivated areas of the plants.
Around 66 million of those trees are nestled in Jaén province, Andalusia, in southern Spain. And Baeza, one of the provinceâs Renaissance cities, is arguably the best destination to discover more about the product, since, according to the townâs Mayor Lola MarÃn Torres, it is currently focused on olive oil tourism.
Indeed, almost the all of the townâs 17,000 inhabitants own olive trees, mostly inherited from their parents and grandparents. Some harvest the plants for their own consumption and some produce olive oil to sell either under their own brand or with a local cooperative.
âBaeza has four cooperatives that produce olive oil,â said our local guide Selena, a former guide at the Museo de la Cultura del Olivo (Olive Museum) in Baeza.
Since the annual harvest season is usually between October and February, our arrival in early November was quite convenient.
âItâs the time when you can enjoy the yearâs highest quality olive oil,â she said.
According to Selena, early-harvest oil has a better quality, including a lower acidity of around 0.4 percent, due to the olives being picked and pressed within 24 hours.
Of course, different varieties of olive will have different characteristics, especially in terms of fruit, leaves and taste. The state of fruit ripening (during harvest and transportation), production, storage and conservation also contribute to the quality of the final product.
Different varieties of olive will have different characteristics, especially in terms of fruit, leaves and taste. (thejakartapost.com/Keshie Hernitaningtyas)
Production equipment used in the old days can be found at the Olive Museum. For instance, in the past, people used sieves to separate the olives from leaves and branches. They also used sacks and baskets to transport the olives from the field to the oil mill. These sacks and bags were carried by animals, usually donkeys. At the oil mill, the olives were weighed and stored in large compartments.
Nowadays, transportation is done by tractor or truck and the olives are not only weighed but also sorted according to their oil content. They are also immediately pressed after harvest to avoid diminishing the quality.
In the old days, the locals used donkeys to help transport and process the olive oil. (thejakartapost.com/Keshie Hernitaningtyas)
The olive oil is basically the liquid juice of the olives, with color ranging from yellow to green.
In general, said Selena, positive attributes of olive oil included high intensity of fruitiness in the smell (similar to tomato, for instance) and bitterness and spiciness in taste. Meanwhile, negative attributes include winey in smell and vinegary and rancid in taste.
In total, there are some 1,700 different varieties of olive in the world, around 260 of which can be found in Spain. Some of the most popular varieties are planted at the Olive Museum.
Picturesque seas of olive trees in Jaén province, in the southern part of Spain. (thejakartapost.com/Keshie Hernitaningtyas) As the world's top olive oil producer, some parts of Spain are home to picturesque seas of olive trees. Up to 220 million olive trees can be found in the country, making it home to the globe's largest cultivated areas of the plants. Around 66 million of those trees are nestled in Jaén province, Andalusia, in southern Spain. And Baeza, one of the province's Renaissance cities, is arguably the best destination to discover more about the product, since, according to the town's Mayor Lola MarÃn Torres, it is currently focused on olive oil tourism. Indeed, almost the all of the town's 17,000 inhabitants own olive trees, mostly inherited from their parents and grandparents. Some harvest the plants for their own consumption and some produce olive oil to sell either under their own brand or with a local cooperative. 'Baeza has four cooperatives that produce olive oil,' said our local guide Selena, a former guide at the Museo de la Cultura del Olivo (Olive Museum) in Baeza. Since the annual harvest season is usually between October and February, our arrival in early November was quite convenient. 'It's the time when you can enjoy the year's highest quality olive oil,' she said. According to Selena, early-harvest oil has a better quality, including a lower acidity of around 0.4 percent, due to the olives being picked and pressed within 24 hours. Of course, different varieties of olive will have different characteristics, especially in terms of fruit, leaves and taste. The state of fruit ripening (during harvest and transportation), production, storage and conservation also contribute to the quality of the final product. Production equipment used in the old days can be found at the Olive Museum. For instance, in the past, people used sieves to separate the olives from leaves and branches. They also used sacks and baskets to transport the olives from the field to the oil mill. These sacks and bags were carried by animals, usually donkeys. At the oil mill, the olives were weighed and stored in large compartments. Nowadays, transportation is done by tractor or truck and the olives are not only weighed but also sorted according to their oil content. They are also immediately pressed after harvest to avoid diminishing the quality. The olive oil is basically the liquid juice of the olives, with color ranging from yellow to green. In general, said Selena, positive attributes of olive oil included high intensity of fruitiness in the smell (similar to tomato, for instance) and bitterness and spiciness in taste. Meanwhile, negative attributes include winey in smell and vinegary and rancid in taste. In total, there are some 1,700 different varieties of olive in the world, around 260 of which can be found in Spain. Some of the most popular varieties are planted at the Olive Museum. 'The most common variety in Jaén is Picual,' said Selena, adding that that particular variety accounted for up to 95 percent of the 66 million olive trees in the province and was usually harvested when it had, on average, 24 percent oil content. When asked what makes Picual superior to other varieties, Selena said that its oil had more spiciness, which relates to high levels of antioxidants and oleocanthal, an organic compound that can destroy cancer cells. She added that extra virgin olive oil, which was the highest quality natural olive juice, was best consumed raw, and daily. 'There's a famous saying that a small spoon of extra virgin olive oil every morning can decrease constipation,' said Selena. But Picual, which is said to be one of the most stable olive oils in the world thus standing up well to high heat during cooking, is arguably better for cooking than many other varieties. For raw consumption, with bread or salad, opt for Arbequina instead, also an olive of Spanish origin, mostly found in the northern part of the country. Arbequina has a smooth taste in the mouth with a sweet finish. If high quality is what you are looking for, Selena advised, make sure you purchase extra virgin olive oil, which is far more expensive than the second and third best quality options, virgin olive oil and olive oil, respectively. Always store the product correctly, since light and cold temperature are the oil's enemies. Keep it in a dark place and at room temperature, from 18 to 24 degrees Celsius. Aside from gastronomy, olive oil is also a popular ingredient in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and soaps, providing a convenient shopping option while you are in town. In Baeza, leftovers from the production process are used in many things as well, including used purified water for irrigation, the flesh of the fruits as fertilizer and the olive pits as fuel to heat houses.
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