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Vicky Hayward
Date
May-August 2003
Printed Issue
Nº 58 (English) |
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Spanish olive-oil making has taken an unexpected new direction. Botanists, chemists, oil-makers and chefs have slowly worked their way back to focus on the oil's starting point - the fruit itself, the olive, with its wealth of varieties. A handful made their name in the 1990s, but the focus is now much wider. New denominations of origin, adventurous oil-makers and prizewinning oils have highlighted a dozen lesser known native varieties - and the experts say there are more for us to discover in the next decade. Arbequina, Picual, Cornicabra and Hojiblanca are already familiar names while Lechín de Sevilla from Cadiz, Manzanilla Cacereña from Extremadura, and Verdial de Huévar from Huelva, are just becoming known. Some of this new generation of oils, identified by the olive varieties from which they are made, derive from just one variety. Others carefully balance two or three varietal oils in classic or experimental blends, to give a finely tuned tasting profile. Here we discover the keys to understanding these oils, via the scientists, tasters and chefs who are playing with their potential, and we give an overview of the range of different oils you can find today.
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