L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano the South, specialized in its production. In the same century, the olive tree made it from Italy a l l t h e w a y t o t h e N e w W o r l d , c o u r t e s y o f t h e Franciscans. However, it was to take another century - - w h e n t h e I t a l i a n a n d Greek communities started to grow -- before olive oil was commercialized on the other side of the Atlantic. From olives to oil H a r v e s t s e a s o n i n t h e olive grove starts around mid-October, even if every region tends to have its own calendar, based on the type of olives cultivated. There are many ways to harvest olives: some producers pick them by hand, while others place large nets under the trees, then shake them to make the fruits fall. Olives are then selected, washed, c r u s h e d a n d p r e s s e d t o m a k e o i l . B u t c a r e f u l ! Because not all oils are the same: we have "virgin" olive o i l w h e n i t i s o b t a i n e d through one single mechan- ic crushing-and-pressing of the olives. We have "extra virgin" when its acidity, or the quantity of oleic acid present in 100 grams of oil, doesn't go over 0.80 grams. If choosing the best olive oil for your kitchen is essen- tial, if you want to enjoy all o f i t s b e n e f i t s ( d e l i c i o u s taste included, of course) y o u a l s o h a v e t o k e e p i t right, that is, in a dark, cool and dry place. And don't forget: once the bottle is open, don't be stingy with it: it should be consumed rela- tively quickly! Olive oil in Italy, from North to South The main area of produc- tion of olive oil in Italy is the South, with Puglia, Calabria, Sicily and Campania making 85% of it. The remaining 2 5 % i s m o s t l y d i v i d e d between Tuscany, Liguria, U m b r i a , M a r c h e a n d A b r u z z o . P u g l i a i s t h e queen of Italian olive oil, with its 267,203 olive farms, followed by Sicily (196,352), C a l a b r i a ( 1 3 6 , 0 1 6 ) a n d Campania (112, 093). The o i l p r o d u c e d i n t h e s e r e g i o n s i s w e l l k n o w n around the world: Apulian olive oil has notes reminis- cent of freshly cut grass, f r u i t a n d o f t h e Mediterranean shrub. Its them with its own specific characteristics! While paying tribute to our most important olive-oil p r o d u c i n g a r e a s w a s a n honor and a duty, it is per- haps more curious to find out that olive oil is made also in parts of the country usually not associated with i t . N o t m a n y k n o w , f o r instance, that an excellent DOP olive oil is produced in S a r d i n i a , w i t h l o c a l B o s a n a , C a r i a s i n a , C i p r e s s i n o , C o r s i c a n a , Semidana, Nera di Oliena, Pizz'e Carroga, Semidana, Tonda di Cagliari or Nera di G o n n o s ' c u l t i v a r s . Surprisingly – because you wouldn't necessarily think of these regions as oil pro- ducing – good Italian olive o i l a l s o c o m e s f r o m Lombardia, Veneto and Trentino, more precisely, from the shores of L a k e Garda. In fact, the tradi- tion of oil making in the a r e a i s a m o n g t h e m o s t ancient in the country and dates back to the Romans, as attested by many archae- ological findings. The oil produced here, the Garda DOP, is safeguarded by the Consorzio del Garda, which i n c l u d e s 6 7 c o m m u n e s d i v i d e d b e t w e e n V e n e t o , Trentino and Lombardia. Three are the denomination o f t h e G a r d a D O P , t h e Bresciano, the Orientale and the Trentino. Just a handful of miles East is the region of Friuli Venezia-Giulia, w i t h i t s T e r g e s t e D O P olive oil, produced in the p r o v i n c e o f b e a u t i f u l Trieste. Would you have imagined that, in this part of the country known most- l y f o r t h e m a j e s t y o f i t s mountains, amazing olive oil was also produced? I n t h e E m i l i a - R o m a g n a p r o v i n c e s o f Ravenna and Forlì, an excel- lent DOP olive oil is made, the Brisighella: don't feel g u i l t y t h o u g h , i f y o u ' v e never heard of it, because production here started only i n t h e 1 9 7 0 s . E v e n m o r e recent is production of olive oil in, perhaps, the most unexpected of all regions, aroma is fruity, but can get quite spicy and intense, depending on the variety. Sicilian olive oil is also f r u i t y a n d a r o m a t i c a n d , depending on the type of olives used for its produc- tion can go from mild to quite spicy. In Campania, our third main producer, olive oil tends to be pleas- antly bitter and spicy, with notes reminiscent of grass, a l m o n d s a n d a r t i c h o k e . Tuscan olive oil is also famous around the world and it is characterized by a w e l l r o u n d e d f l a v o r o f a l m o n d s a n d f r e s h f r u i t ; t h e n , w e h a v e L i g u r i a n olive oil, which is soft, light a n d d e l i c a t e , e s p e c i a l l y w h e n p r o d u c e d w i t h t h e most popular of Ligurian olives, the Taggiasca. Mind, though: each and every one of these regions has many types of olive oil, each with its own flavor, scents and aromas, and it couldn't be otherwise, if you think that in Italy there are 538 differ- ent types of olives that can be used to make oil, each of P i e m o n t e a n d V a l l e d'Aosta. More popular for their mountains, cheeses and white truffles, our west- ern-most regions recently created a Consortium for local extra virgin olive oil, produced in the hills across the provinces of Turin and A o s t a , b u t a l s o i n t h e M o n v i s o v a l l e y s , n e a r Saluzzo (Piedmont). It is, as f a m o u s c u l i n a r y I t a l i a n magazine Gambero Rosso said, an extravergine che viene dalla montagna, an extra virgin olive oil hailing from the mountains. The connection between olive oil and Italy is ances- tral, ancient and symbiotic. Olive oil is part of our cui- sine, of our economy and of our culture, it is produced across all regions, its color and scents as familiar to us I t a l i a n s a s t h e a i r w e breathe and the water we drink. Of course, there are other excellent olive oils out there, some even cheaper than ours, but we are proud and traditional and we still like our own best. Olive oil is part of the Mediterranean Triad and has been at the heart of Mediterranean culture for millennia (Photo: Piccia Neri/Dreamstime) The history of olive oil is as ancient as that of civilization itself, with the earliest attestations of its use dating back to 4000 BC in Armenia, Palestine and India. In 2500 BC it was mentioned in the Code of Hammurabi, the earliest set of laws known to Humankind Continued from page 20 ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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