Leucocarpa olive tree, also known as Leucolea is an ancestral variety white olives. Recently recovered in Italy, where years ago there were only a few specimens.
This curious olive variety has not gone unnoticed and its demand is currently increasing.
Its white olives were cultivated by basilian monks more than 1,000 years ago in Calabria and other regions of southern Italy. Due to the absence of pigmentation, it produces a light colored olive oil. This special oil was used in ancient times to make Anointing Oil Santa(used during the sacraments of baptism, confirmation…) It should be remembered that the white color is associated with purity and perfection strong>.
Although there are other olive varieties known for their white olives, such as Biancolilla or Blanket. The Leucocarpa olive tree stands out for its perfect ivory colored olives.
Characteristics of the Leucocarpa olive tree
Due to the limited area of cultivated olive groves, the characteristics of the Leucocarpa olive tree are not yet well known. However, its peculiarities have aroused the interest of the scientific community, having carried out research studies on the genes involved in the pigmentation of its white olives >.
In its area of cultivation, the variety has low fat yields and is little productive. It is also affected by the frequency of the olive tree, being unregular its production. These characteristics can cause that this variety of olive trees is used more for ornamental plantations than for farms.
Characteristics of the white Leucolea olive
The white color of its olives is undoubtedly the most relevant characteristic of the Leucocarpa olive tree.
As with other white fruits, such as the White Cherry of Provence. White olives are very delicate and any blow produces visible spots on the skin.
Leucocarpa olive oil
The white color of the olives makes the olive oil produced colorless. As we saw in the post about the color of olive oil, this is not a representative aspect of quality.
In fact, when harvested in due time, white Leucocarpa olives make it possible to obtain a good EVOO with a medium level of fruitiness and with a spicy and bitter taste that is pleasant on the palate.
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We have translated the information on our website from Spanish to English. Please note that some words may have had their meaning altered during translation.