November does not have to be grey; it can be gold.
The island of Mallorca has a lot more to offer than just its beautiful coves and eternal sunny days, it also stands out for its gastronomy.
Mallorca’s extra virgin olive oil, “oli” in Majorcan language, is among the best in the world and has a long history. This liquid gold is obtained from the thousand-year-old olive trees on the island of Mallorca, which were imported more than a millennium ago by the Phoenicians and Greeks from the Eastern Mediterranean. This organic olive oil is best known for its numerous benefits for the organism and is an essential part of the Mediterranean diet and traditional Mallorcan cuisine.
We can say extra virgin olive oil is the purest of all the olive oils on the market, as it is made from the best olives at the peak of their ripeness only using traditional methods, in an organic way with native olives and obtaining an exclusive high-quality product.
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY
In the times of the Crown of Aragon, 13th century, oil from Mallorca was already being exported to North Africa, overtime it was regularly and continuously exported from the island, especially from the Port of Sóller. During the 17th, 18th and 19th century, this valuable olive oil had a strong economic growth becoming a basic ingredient in the diet of the island’s inhabitants and as an exchange and export product.
The so-called Tafonas played a significant role at that time. These rural buildings are places where olive oil was produced in the past and even today. The type of rural housing typical of the island, has living areas and other outbuildings for the agricultural and livestock exploitation of an extensive territory. It brings together all the necessary elements for the three main tasks that must be carried out there: milling, pressing and storing.
In the 19th century, Archduke Ludwig Salvator praised Mallorcan olive trees in his writings, but it was not until 2002 that the “Oli de Mallorca” Designation of Origin was created, which is applied to some of the best Mallorcan extra virgin olive oils, which come specifically from the Mallorcan, Arbequina and Picual olive varieties.
OLIVE OIL PRODUCTION
The extra virgin olive oil is produced in a sustainable, ecological and artisanal way using traditional production systems, by means of hydraulic presses and cold-pressed.
In Mallorca the oil is made from the Arbequina, Mallorquina and Picual varieties.
- The Mallorquina variety gives the oil its smoothness, sweetness and ripe almond flavour.
- The arbequina variety produces an oil with a green fruity flavour.
- The Picual variety provides the spicy and bitter attributes.
Between the months of October and November and February and March, the olives are harvested to begin the olive oil production process. Large nets are laboriously laid out under the trees or stretched by hand.
After harvesting the olives carefully and quickly , they are washed, pressed, crushed and spun. The solid fruit parts settle and the oil and water obtained in the process are separated. Then the olive oil must rest. It is not heated and no other ingredients are added.
There are two types of oil that can be produced depending on the olive variety and the time the harvesting is done. While Green olives are harvested when they are still unripe, Black olives are harvested when they are fully ripe. At the beginning of the harvest season, the olives are completely green. The taste of the olive oil obtained from them is fruitier and slightly bitter, with an intense greenish-yellow colour. As time goes by, the olives get darker and the taste changes as well as its colour. The oil obtained from a fully ripe olive has a golden yellow colour and tastes sweet and slightly spicy at the end.
Flavour is one of the organoleptic properties of the oil that depends on the balance of the positive attributes. These are fruitiness, which can be green or ripe, bitterness and pungency. Its taste is due to the content and type of polyphenols, which produce the characteristic flavour.
OLIVE OIL IS GOOD FOR US
Besides being a delicious dressing, this oil has numerous beneficial properties for your health. The properties of olive oil extend your life because it prevents many diseases, increases your defences and makes you look better. Unlike other vegetable oils, it contains monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, whose cardioprotective effects are widely recognised by the international scientific community.
This liquid gold contains vitamin E as well: which prevents the oxidation of bad LDL cholesterol, which would lead to the appearance of atheromatous or arteriosclerotic plaques, which impede the correct flow of blood through the arterial system.
The olive oil prevents cellular ageing and the formation of cancerous cells because of the polyphenols it contains. In diabetics it helps to lower blood glucose levels, so they would need less insulin. Polyphenols are bioactive compounds that act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, and studies have shown that they enhance the birth of new neurons.
Extra virgin olive oil being an essential part in the Mediterranean diet comes as no surprise that Spain is the country with the second highest life expectancy in the world.
OLIVE OIL TASTING
The olive groves were mainly established in the Sierra de Tramontana. It is in this mountain range where we can find most of the Fincas and Tafonas where we can enjoy a tasting of the olive oil produced there and walk among the olive groves enjoying the incredible views of the mountains.
Olíric Arbequina, from Santa Eugènia, has been considered the best mature fruity extra virgin olive oil and the best single variety Arbequina in the international Evooleum competition.
This Mallorcan oil has entered the Top 100 of the best oils of 2022 and is already part of the exclusive Evooleum 2023 guide.
We made a list for you of the best fincas in Mallorca that offer Oil tasting in winter 2022.
Finca Son Moragues
The Finca Son Moragues, located in Valldemossa and built in the 14th century, is the home of this organic olive oil edition. The estate has a four-hectare biodynamically cultivated garden where the olive trees are carefully tended throughout the year to protect them from pests in winter and to produce organic olive oil and olives of the best possible quality.
At the Son Moragues tasting workshop you will learn how to taste oil under the guidance of an expert and to discover everything about organic oil production. The visit includes a guided explanatory walk through the olive grove, the interactive tasting of oil and in addition a tasting of Mallorcan fresh olives and Son Moragues jams with rustic bread and local cheese.
The duration is 2 hours with groups of 2-6 persons and the price per person is 70€.
Finca Treurer
The arbequina olive variety is the one used by the Miralles family to produce this fruity and spicy olive oil, with delicate bitter notes. This balanced oil has aromatic hints of almond, walnut and fennel. The name Treuer comes from the word “tresorer”, which means treasurer, very appropriate for this liquid gold. The darkened glass bottles filter out UV rays and have an anti-drip system.
Scheluled Visit To The Farm | Treurer – Aceite De Oliva Virgen De Mallorca
Finca Es Guinyent
The centuries-old Finca Es Guinyent in Alcúdia has 85,000 m² of olive groves, a bottling plant and a visitor centre. The sun, rain and sea breeze favour the olive trees located in the north of Mallorca. The Solivellas family uses only mechanical and artisan methods to make their fruity oil from Arbequina and native Picual olives. This aromatic oil, with an intense flavour and low acidity, is used in some of the best restaurants in Mallorca.
For guided tours it is necessary to make an appointment in advance. Minimum groups of 10 persons.
Visit Finca Es Guinyent
