At the beginning of the autumn season in Puglia it’s starting the harvest of olives from which the precious Apulian extravirgin olive oil is obtained.
It is an important step in the agricultural production as the oil quality is affected by the method of the harvesting.
It is surely a moment steeped in tradition that belongs to the history of the territory, and in the nature, amongst centuries-old olive groves and genuine scents.
Our ancient trees are all over the region, from the Gargano down to the Salento, passing by Central Murgia.
It is said that about 60 millions of olive trees are located in Puglia, an impressive number that can explain their value in our land from an economic, environmental and agricultural point of view.
Between the end of October and December the olives reach maturation changing color from green to violet and this is the best moment when the fruit contains the main quantity of phenolic substances which will give organoleptic and nutritional properties.
The harvesting technique could be manual as combing the branches of the tree with rakes to remove softly the products, that can be collected in some nets placed on the ground, or the manual stripping picking fruits directly from the plants.
The mechanical techniques include shacking branches with vibrant rakes that facilitate the falling of the fruits down on the nets. The picked olives are then carefully selected and taken to the oil mill within a few hours for the milling process, so that they could preserve their characteristics and produce a high-quality extravirgin oil.
Once the harvest is at the mill, it’s cleaned by the leaves and washed in appropriate machines, then it’s pressed, so the oil can be extracted grinding pits and fruit pulp. The produced oil paste is kneaded in order to keep the proper temperature before to proceed with the second step of pressing.
The traditional way of grinding is made up by millstones, passed down from generations recalling ancient and rural cultures. Millstone is powered by mechanical engine nowadays, but in the past it was turned by a beast pulling a wooden beam.
The hammer mill is a modern technique which consists of a device, a high speed hammer crusher that improves production times.
After grinding, oil paste is usually placed within fibre disks, which are stacked on the top of each other, like a tower, and pressed by a mechanical system, so that residues and liquid can be separated.
The oily must becomes extravirgin oil only after the vegetation water has been removed.
Let’s see the most common types of olives in Puglia:
– Coratina: is among the most famous in Puglia and the extravirgin oil produced by the Coratina is considered the Apulian oil par excellence; it’s a monocultivar, which means it is realized with a single variety of olives. It is situated in the North of Bari and takes the name from the city of Corato, which boasts the largest production. It has a tangy and bitter taste; the harvest is late in the year between November and December, which makes it a full-bodied oil, rich in polyphenols and antioxidants.
– Ogliarola: it’s very widespread throughout Puglia and depending on the territory it emanates different peculiarities and have various denominations: Cima di Bitonto in province of Bari, Lecce Ogliarola in Salento area and Gargano Ogliarola in the North of Puglia.
It features an intense and slightly fruity flavour with a spicy and bitterish point and a hint of almond aroma, especially in the Cima di Bitonto. The Ogliarola olive is the symbol of Puglia and most of the trees are centuries-old.
– Cima di Mola, Olivastra and Leccina: they are located in the South of Bari, between the coast and the Trulli area, and they provide a fruity and intense oil. The Cima di Mola is disappearing slowly, the Olivastra has a bitter and pungent savour, and the Leccina gives a fruits perfume with changing colors, and it is used also as table olive.
– Cellina: that of Nardò makes a light and delicate product slighty fruity and sweet, but it has a low yield. It is situated in Brindisi and Lecce provinces, that one of Bari is especially used as table olive.
– Peranzana: it is available in Foggia area and it is known as Provenzale or Provenzana. The Peranzana oil is generally sweet and well balanced, that’s why it is often a monocultivar. The Peranzana could be served at table.
Then, the Bella di Cerignola is very famous as table olive, also become a DOP product with the name of Bella della Daunia; it’s pulpy and tasty, black or green coloured.
viaggieitinerari... in Puglia by Valeria Dicarlo 