Olives and the tasty oil they produce are among one of Italy’s largest exports and visitors to famous olive producing regions like Tuscany has a wonderful opportunity to watch how olives are processed into the healthy oil that Italians nickname ‘green gold’! Tourists can choose from a wealth of accommodation around some of Tuscany’s finest olive oil producing districts including; Montalcino, Lucca, Chianti and Siena.
Enjoy a stay in a holiday villa rental in the Montalcino countryside where you can visit nearby olive grove farms that are open for tours.
Olives, once picked before the colder days of Autumn are ideally stored in their crate for a day or less before travelling to the local ‘frantoio’ or mill for the next stage. The mill has become a wonderfully social place among farmers and members of the local community where they discuss the weather and how their yield this year compared to others. Many of them stay all day and through a lot of the night as they wait their turn for their olives to be turned into oil.
Enjoy a stay in a holiday villa rental in the Montalcino countryside where you can visit nearby olive grove farms that are open for tours.
Olives, once picked before the colder days of Autumn are ideally stored in their crate for a day or less before travelling to the local ‘frantoio’ or mill for the next stage. The mill has become a wonderfully social place among farmers and members of the local community where they discuss the weather and how their yield this year compared to others. Many of them stay all day and through a lot of the night as they wait their turn for their olives to be turned into oil.
The milling process is done at a very low temperature to preserve the quality of the olives. First they are thoroughly but gently washed and all leaves and stems are removed. Then the grinding stage happens where the olives and their pits are crushed into a paste. Then they are slowly mixed to ensure the flavours and aromas of olives are perfectly blended.
Then this aromatic paste is pressed and taps are opened at the bottom of the press to let the liquid pour out. Then two elements of this liquid, a murky substance called pomace and excess water are removed to leave a beautifully clear green oil.
This oil is stored in a cool dry container for a while to let any excess sediment sink to the bottom before being bottled.
Then this aromatic paste is pressed and taps are opened at the bottom of the press to let the liquid pour out. Then two elements of this liquid, a murky substance called pomace and excess water are removed to leave a beautifully clear green oil.
This oil is stored in a cool dry container for a while to let any excess sediment sink to the bottom before being bottled.
Extra virgin olive oil, which is considered the highly quality of olive oil, is what is produced from the first pressing. Lesser quality oils are produced from second and third pressings. The best quality oil is always poured into dark green glass bottle to prevent damage from sunlight during storage and ranges from €8 to €15 per bottle.
Tuscans love their olive oil and often enjoy it with a simple dish called ‘Fettunta’. This is unsalted toasted bread that is rubbed with a split garlic clove and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sometimes enjoy with some fresh basil and tomatoes.
Read through our related article to learn more about the almost god-like reverence for olive trees in Italy and across the Mediterranean!
Photo credits
picture 1: KoS / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Swoolverton / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: alex Ex / CC BY-SA 3.0
Tuscans love their olive oil and often enjoy it with a simple dish called ‘Fettunta’. This is unsalted toasted bread that is rubbed with a split garlic clove and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sometimes enjoy with some fresh basil and tomatoes.
Read through our related article to learn more about the almost god-like reverence for olive trees in Italy and across the Mediterranean!
Photo credits
picture 1: KoS / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Swoolverton / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: alex Ex / CC BY-SA 3.0
