Italian Olives

 Italy sports over 400 varieties of olives and the production extends throughout the entire peninsula.  In the northern regions above the river Po, the winters are generally too cold for olive trees to survive (this is why the cuisine of of these regions relies on butter and lard instead of olive oil). There are several northern micro-climates that produce good olives, most notably Largo di Garda & Liguria. While all of Italy's olive production is used for olive oil, there are choice varieties loved as table olives.  We offer a number of the most famous and sought after. 

Liguria is famous for the Taggiasca olive. The Ligurian like their olives (and its oil) sweet and buttery so they wait until late in the season to pick their olives.  The olives are deep purple in color with a fruity, delicate flavor and small notes of bitterness.  We offer the Taggiasca whole packed in brine or for a real treat, we have them pitted and packed in 100% Taggiasca extra virgin olive oil. Currently, we have them available only in bulk pack.

Lazio's most famous olive is the Gaeta. It is one of the most popular olives anywhere but especially in Italy. It has a soft, mellow flesh bursting with tart, slightly citrus flavor. Ours are completley DOP sourced from the town of Gaeta.

Puglia grows more olives than all of Italy's other regions combined. Most of the production is crushed for oil, but there are some stand-outs for the table.  The Bella di Cerignola is from the the northern Puglia town from which the olive is named. It is the largest olive in the word and is firm, crunchy and sweet. This same area of Puglia produces two dark brown-black olives that are fantastic for the table or in recipes: Paranzana and Leccino.  Paranzana has an earthy taste and is a bit bitter; Leccino is sweeter and complex.

Sicily has wide olive cultivation but there is one olive that has become one on the most famous in the world: the Castelvetrano.  Named after the central town of the Bellice Valley, the variety is the Nocellara di Bellice. The perfect martini olive, they are fantastic eating olives with their bright green color, sweet and mild flavor with a gentle salty finish.