Spanish Olive Oil: Origin, Quality, and Global Leadership

Is Spanish Olive Oil the Best?

In all fairness, it's reasonable to say that Spanish olive oil is one of the best in the world. In short, strong historical evidence of olive cultivation, quality of olive oil produced, and dominance in the global production scenario comfortably bolster this statement. This fact is further reinforced by Spanish olive oil repeatedly winning “best olive oil in the world” awards and accolades across major international highest-quality extra virgin olive oil competitions-NYIOOC, EVOIOOC, Mario Solinas Award, etc., -year after year.

The mention of the quality of Spanish olive oil dates back to the Roman era. Studies have pointed out that Andalusian (Baetican) olive oil was exported to Germania (Germany) during the last centuries of the Roman Empire [1].

Spain is the largest producer of olive oil, covering about 40% of the global production. And it is for a reason. According to the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 80% of the total Spanish production comes from Andalucía. Of this, Jaén is the main contributing province, covering almost half of that Andalusian share.

Oil of the highest quality is obtained from healthy olives picked at the optimum point of ripeness, straight from the tree (not picked from the ground), where pressing is carried out as quickly as possible following harvest (< 24 h). The processing at the mill completes within 90 min at temperatures below 28 ºC. Multiple physico-chemical and organoleptic parameters were objectified as quality models. These are the standard procedures identified as the best practice for high-quality olive oil.

Many Spanish institutes contributed to the drafting and implementation of “the standardized and best practice Manual” for the production of high-quality olive oil [2].

Why Spanish Olive Oil Quality Infrastructure Is Rigorous

Spain's leadership in the olive oil sector, both in the production scale and the quality front, didn't happen accidentally. It's the result of several contributing factors, from favorable Mediterranean geographical and climatic conditions for olive growing to deliberate investment in cutting-edge science and technology infrastructure [3]. A few of the most significant are pointed out below. Also, most of the cooperatives and farmers associated with PDOs or independent farmers follow sustainable agricultural practices, such as integrated production systems and organic farming, that ensure safe, high-quality olive oils.

Spain has the deepest PDO/quality-certification infrastructure of any olive-oil-producing country, with specific regulations for olive oil.

There are 31 protected designations of origin (PDO) and 3 protected geographical Indicators (PGI) for olive oil in Spain alone. PDO certification is a quality assurance system that guarantees the quality of olive oils. Read the differences between PDO and PGI here. There are PDOs in Spain that set their own self-imposed rigorous Global Quality Index that even surpasses the quality criteria defined by formal regulatory agencies. It is an example that shows seriousness about the quality [4].

Spanish scientific institutions helped shape the methodology for the global standard for olive oil quality assessment.

Andalusia's CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) and Instituto de la Grasa, working with the International Olive Council, developed the organoleptic analysis method that is still used today. Spain didn't just adopt the global quality benchmark. Spanish institutions helped shape the methodology.

IFAPA, Andalusia's agricultural research and extension institute, worked directly with growers on the ground in implementing and promoting agricultural modernization and the changes in practices required for promoting standardized quality [2].

Early, substantial investment in in-house scientific verification.

Spain moved in quickly to align with the EU's core olive oil quality regulation, Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2568/91. Spanish PDOs that established their own physicochemical laboratories and tasting panels to satisfy these standards gained an early foothold in the industry [3].

To summarize, Spanish olive oils are one of the best because —

• Mediterranean terroir and climate provide excellent environmental and agronomical conditions for olive cultivation and production.
• Generational old olive oil craftsmanship.
• Adoption of science and modern technology in multiple phases of the production chain — cultivation, harvest, milling and production, quality control, etc.

Spanish Olive Oil Varieties by Region

Spain holds a prominent place as the world’s leading olive oil producer and exporter. The great diversity of olive varieties in Spain is another factor that has resulted in a range of unique olive oils in the world. This varietal diversity, coupled with the use of the latest technologies and most modern development processes, results in the highest quality oils.

Of about 200 olive varieties in Spain, only two will be mentioned here. You can learn about the main Spanish olive varieties here.

Catalan 'Arbequina'

Arbequina olive oils come from the regions in northeastern coastal Spain, close to Barcelona, such as Tarragona and Lleida. The oils made from the Arbequina variety produce a very aromatic oil with a clean, fresh, herbal olive flavor, mainly apple, banana, tropical fruits, sweet almond, and artichoke undertones, and with a very light pungency and bitterness.

The bimillenary olive tree known as “Lo Parot” meaning the father of all olive trees, Horta de Sant Joan, Tarragona, Spain

Andalucía 'Picual'

Picual olive oil comes from a broad production zone that covers around 80% of the country's total olive oil production. Located in southern Spain, the main production zone includes the regions of Jaén, Córdoba, Granada, Málaga, Huelva, and Sevilla. The olives are mostly grown on the hillsides under dry or drip-irrigation farming conditions with a traditional grove system that has very wide tree spacings. The early-season fruit is harvested in October and November and is of excellent quality. The Picual extra virgin olive oil is high in polyphenols, strongly bitter, very pungent, and shows oxidative stability during storage and cooking [5].

Jaén: The World Capital of Olive Oil

The province of Jaén is the largest olive oil-producing region in Spain and in the world, with 550,000 hectares of olive groves and more than 66 million olive trees. It accounts for 20% of the world's olive oil production, earning it the title "World Capital of Olive Oil."

It is the place in Spain with the highest concentration of olive trees and olive oil production. The most common variety is Picual (90%), although Royal, Arbequina, Picudo, Manzanillo de Jaén, Cornicabra, and Hojiblanca varieties are also grown.

There are currently three protected designations of origin (PDO) for olive oil in the province: Sierra de Segura, Sierra de Cazorla, and Sierra Mágina. A Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) covers the whole of the province.

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References

1. Remesal-Rodríguez J (1997) Heeresversorgung und die wirtschaftlichen Beziehungen der Baetica und Germanien. Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart, pp 1–20.
2. Cendón, M.L.; Sánz-Cañada, J.; Lucena-Piquero, D. Differential quality and technical/managerial advice relationships in Andalusia (Spain) olive oil protected designations of origin. Span. J. Agric. Res. 2014, 12, 869–888.
3. Farre-Ribes M., Cabedo, C. L.; Aguilar-Criado, E., The role of knowledge in constructing the quality of olive oil in Spain. Sustainability. 2019, 11, 4029.
4. Jiménez-Herrera, B.; Carpio Dueñas, A. La Cata de Aceites: Aceite de Oliva Virgen. Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca, Junta de Andalucía: Sevilla, Spain, 2008.
5. Romero, A., J. Tous, and L. Guerrero. 2005. Caracterización sensorial del aceite, p. 373–382.