Spanish Olive Varieties
Spain has a wide variety of olive cultivars (more than 250!), which differ according to region, climate, and soil type. This leads to a wide range of flavors to suit every taste.
Arbequina
Arbequina olive oil is typical of the Lérida and Tarragona regions, but it has spread widely throughout Spain, especially in Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha. The olives are small, ripen quickly, and are very productive, which makes them particularly attractive in agriculture.
Arbequina oil is sweet, with no bitter aftertaste. Occasionally, it can be spicy on the finish, which signals freshness. It is particularly aromatic with fruity notes like banana and apple. The flavor comes from a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which makes it less stable than other varieties. It contains a lot of oleic acid, which lowers LDL and raises HDL, but it tends to have lower polyphenol levels.
Usage: Due to its gentle, sweet character, it is excellent for cooking mayonnaise, mild sauces, as a butter substitute in baking, on toast for breakfast, with tomato or jam, in fruit salads and purees, and with fish and seafood. Because of its lower stability, other varieties like Hojiblanca or Manzanilla are recommended for frying, although Arbequina is still more stable than sunflower oil.
Arbequina olive
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Hojiblanca
The Hojiblanca olive variety is typical of Central Andalusia and extends mainly from the north of Malaga province, through the south of Cordoba province, and into the east of Seville province.
The Hojiblanca olive variety captivates with its striking appearance: the undersides of its leaves glow a radiant white, and its fruits are round and of medium to high caliber. It is not only a conventional source of olive oil but also a highly sought-after table olive – versatile, as its name suggests.
The oil from the Hojiblanca olive impresses with a distinct yet elegant bitterness, which is moderate compared to other varieties. Its oleic acid content of about 65 to 70 percent gives it stability and makes it significantly more resistant to oxidation at high temperatures than varieties like Arbequina or Royal. Thus, Hojiblanca oil can be wonderfully used for both frying and raw consumption.
The color of the extract tends towards golden-green, with the hue becoming stronger the less ripe the olive is harvested – greener olives thus provide a fresher, more intense note. What also makes this oil unmistakable is its characteristic taste and unique aromas, which create a loyal following among consumers. Once someone has experienced the taste of Hojiblanca olive oil, they often remain loyal to this variety for a long time.
Hojiblanca olive
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Chamomile
The Manzanilla olive variety is mainly cultivated in the provinces of Seville and Huelva (where it is known as "Manzanilla Sevillana olive") and in Extremadura. Worldwide, its cultivation is widespread in countries such as the USA, Portugal, Argentina, Australia, and Israel.
The Manzanilla variety is primarily valued as a table olive, while oils from this variety are rarer. Some oil mills offer high-quality examples that impress with characteristic aromas and an unmistakable taste. The Manzanilla olive tree is small and fits perfectly into dense plantations, making it particularly attractive for cultivation. The fruits are of average size, round, and straw-yellow. They have an increased flesh-to-pit ratio and an oil content of about 20 percent.
The oil of the Manzanilla olive impresses with a distinctly green color and a shiny appearance. It unfolds a balanced blend of pungency, bitterness, and sweetness, is very aromatic, and recalls fruity notes such as apple, fruit salad, tomato, and ripe banana. The oil extraction is in the medium range, accompanied by a high content of palmitic acid and linoleic acid, which underscores quality and stability.
It is used in a versatile way: It is excellent for frying and pairs wonderfully with rich fish dishes. Raw, it refines salads and breakfast dishes as a fine, aromatic dressing or tasty accompaniment.
Manzanilla olive
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