the turth about olives
by Jill Terry
(return to Liguria)

We've all heard about the benefits of olive oil and how Mediterranean cultures may be healthier because of their consumption of it. Studies indicate that olive oil may lower cholesterol levels in the blood and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease. It's not often that something so healthy can also be so tasty!

Western Liguria is home to one of the finest varieties of olive, the taggiasca. The growing area for taggiasca olives stretches from the Savona province in Liguria to Monaco. Consequently, all the olives do not mature at the same time - they are subject to slightly different irrigation, exposure, and temperature variations. Whereas most olive varieties are processed and manufactured by industrial methods, lending more uniformity to the taste of the olives and the olive oil, taggiasca olive products come in a wider range of subtle flavors because of the variations in climate, irrigation and exposure. The low acid content renders a slightly piquant flavor to the oil and as the growing season progresses, the olive develops a distinctively fruity taste.

Next time you're on a game show and the topic is Taggiasca Olives, here are some handy facts that may make you a millionaire:

• The trunk is usually very twisted, giving every tree a unique look - so unique, in fact, that the trees are often cultivated as much for ornamental as culinary reasons
• The trees can grow as high as 10 meters if they aren't controlled with pruning
• Productivity does not begin until the third year of a tree's life, but one tree can remain productive for up to 600 years
• If you like your olives pungent and powerful, eat them right off the tree but do it only with mature olives or they'll be somewhat bitter
• You can use olive oil to polish slate that's been exposed to the elements for too long a period
• Revive a dull dashboard by rubbing some taggiasca olive oil into it

more liguria.... * Liguria region * Liguria Guide * Genoa Lost & Found * Get thee to the nunnery! * The truth about olives * Put... Puttering Around * Ligurain Cuisine * What do you know about Liguria? * More Italian regions...