World
Ancient Greeks used their branches to weave their Olympic wreaths and Roman emperors are said to have kept aside the oil from its fruits for their personal use. But for most of the centuries, feral olive trees were just forgotten in the bushes.
I always say it is like giving a bite to the mountain. It tastes like wild Nature.- Francisco Villanueva
These small-leafed, poor relatives of the cultivated olive trees, were often left aside, its tiny fruits regarded as not profitable enough to be harvested. This happens even nowadays. An average of 4 to 6kg of olives are needed to produce a liter of oil from commercial varieties, whereas for wild olive trees this amount increases to 15 – 20kg.
Thus, cultivated olive trees, with a much higher yield, dominate olive oil production. However, some producers are starting to turn their eyes to this kind of widely neglected olive tree.
“Of course, there is great quality olive oil from cultivated olives. We also have it. But the oil from wild olive trees has a particular flavor, a different taste. When you take it to a tasting panel, professional tasters don’t know how to describe it,” says Francisco Villanueva, co-founder of Aceite Mudéjar, a family-run company that produces this particular kind of oil.
We meet him and his partner, Fernando Martín, at the doors of their olive oil mill in Monda, some 40km southwest of Málaga, in Andalusia.
“When someone asks me how it tastes like, I always say it is like giving a bite to the mountain. It tastes as wild Nature,” he tells Olive Oil Times.
But the flavor is not the only reason that is making oil of feral olive trees commercially viable.
“There is a fundamental difference in terms of organoleptic characteristics, but its composition is different as well. It has, of course, the same fatty acids, but regarding phenolic compounds and vitamin E, it has a much bigger share of them. When we send a sample to specialized labs, they ask us where we got this oil from. They find this unusual amount of antioxidants,” says Villanueva, who is also a doctor.
Those characteristics have made the oil an appreciated cosmetic and medicinal compound.
In Spanish, feral olive trees are called acebuches and their fruits are known as “acebuchinas.”
Both words have Arabic and Berber origins, a legacy of the century’s long Moorish past of the region.
Villanueva and his partner Fernando Martín began to produce acebuche oil just a few years ago when they started harvesting the acebuchinas growing on the green slopes of the Sierra de las Nieves (literally “range of the snows”).
This UNESCO biosphere reserve, halfway between Málaga and Marbella, seems ages away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist centers of the Costal del Sol. It is an ideal territory for “acebuches.”
But oils from feral olive trees are also being produced elsewhere, from Cádiz, at the Southernmost corner of Spain, to Jaén, in central Andalusia, and the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, where acebuches are called “ullastres” in Catalan language.
“There are many kinds of acebuches. Some of them are sons of cultivated varieties. Their fruits are a bit more similar to those of cultivated varieties. Others are grandsons of great-grandsons of acebuches. Those are the truly rich ones to get ‘acebuchina’ oil from them,” explains Villanueva.
Size is the main external difference between cultivated olives and feral ones. “Acebuchinas” are much smaller and they have a higher proportion of olive pit.
The color of their pulps is also different. While cultivated olives have a whitish purple flesh, acebuchinas have an intense blood-like juice.
The result is a completely diverse type of oil. One that has perhaps been forgotten for too long. As Villanueva puts it: “If Roman emperors used it, why not us?.”
More articles on: culture, olive tree cultivation, profiles
Dec. 11, 2023
Small-Scale Farmers Celebrate Big-Time Success in Central California
Richard and Myrna Meisler have turned a passion project into one of California’s most-awarded extra virgin olive oils.
Jan. 29, 2024
Production in Spain Expected to Fall Short of Initial Estimates
Production estimates range from 680,000 to 755,000 tons for the 2023/24 crop year, below expectations at the start of the harvest.
Jul. 8, 2024
New Spanish Podcast Delves into the World of Olive Oil
A la Sombra del Olivo brings together three hosts from different backgrounds and a diverse range of guests with the goal of educating the public about olive oil.
Jan. 2, 2024
Agritourism Takes Off at Arizona’s Queen Creek Olive Mill
Tourism is key to the success of Queen Creek Olive Mill’s business and the promotion of extra virgin olive oil in Arizona.
Jan. 15, 2024
Producers in Uruguay See Awards Fueling Exports, Local Olive Oil Culture
Uruguayans turned heads at the 2023 World Olive Oil Competition, setting their sights on export markets and homegrown appreciation.
Jan. 3, 2024
Tuscany Announces Funds to Prevent Olive Grove Abandonment
The measures are meant to encourage growers to take care of abandoned olive trees in difficult terrains and maintain them to prevent wildfire and pest development
Jun. 15, 2024
Report Reveals Growing Number of Olive Producers in Northern Italy
Olive farming is shifting north in Italy as sustainability in a changing climate guides new ventures. Organic growing is also on the rise.
Jun. 2, 2024
Award-Winning Siblings Grateful Father Chose Coratina
After inheriting the family olive farm, brother and sister Tommaso and Angela Fiore continue the family legacy.