SEVILLANO OLIVE or GORDAL or SPANISH QUEEN

From the area of Sevilla in southern Spain, the Sevillano cultivar is also planted extensively in California. One of the largest green varieties, this olive has a light, fruity flavor. It pairs well with fresh or fresh-style cheeses like goat cheese and feta.

Sevillano olives (photo ©
Dumet).

SICILIAN OLIVE

A large green Italian olive from Sicily, often pitted and stuffed with pitted and stuffed with cheese, garlic, a hot chile pepper, or pimento. It is also marinated in olive oil that’s highly seasoned and used as a snack, appetizer, or sandwich topping. There are different varieties of green olives sold as generic “Sicilian” olives.

SINGLE ESTATE OIL

See estate oil.

Sicilian green olives (photo ©
Australia On A Plate).

SPANISH or SEVILLIAN-STYLE OLIVES

This refers to the processing of the green olives picked from the tree. Olives cannot be eaten straight from the tree and must be processed to leach the oleuropein, which makes them inedible. The olives are treated in a diluted lye solution (sodium hydroxide) to eliminate and transform the oleuropein and sugars. Fermentation is then carried out with the olives covered in brine. Traditionally, this was done in wooden casks; more recently, larger containers of modern materials are used. When properly fermented, olives keep for a long time. Olives can be whole, stoned (pitted), or stuffed with anchovies, pimento, etc. The most commonly used varieties are Manzanillo, Sevillano/Gordal (see above), and Moroccan Picholine.

Manzanillo olives (photo ©
Australia On A Plate).

SOURI OLIVE

The souri (Arabic for “Syrian”) originated in Lebanon; it is widespread in the Levant— Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinian territory. It has a high oil yield and exceptionally aromatic flavor.

SPANISH QUEEN OLIVE

See Sevillano olive, above.

SPREMITURA A FREDDO

Italian for cold-pressed.

STONE GROUND

An artisanal technique using a traditional millstone to crush and grind the olives.

Il Nudo is a modern brand that uses old-fashioned millstones to crush the olives (and also the fruits that flavor some of the oils). Photo © Il Nudo.

STABILITY

The degree to which the olive oil retains its freshness, i.e., does not turn rancid. This is a function of the intrinsic composition of the cultivar—the amount of oleic, linolenic, and palmitoleic acids. Of course, keeping the oil tightly capped in a dark, cool space will help, and the ultimate aid is using a wine preservative spray to displace the oxygen in the bottle, thereby slowing oxidation. (But, sprays are expensive, and need to be balanced against the cost of replacing the bottle. If it’s a bottle brought back from Europe that is difficult to obtain, it’s worth it.)

Photo of Niçoise olives by Nathalie Dulex | SXC.

TABLE OLIVE

An olive that is grown for eating (“at the table”) as opposed to pressing for oil. These varieties tend to be fleshier, with more fruit surrounding the pit. Some varieties, fleshy and satisfying as table olives, also yield delicious oils and are pressed into artisan oils as well.
 

UNFILTERED OLIVE OIL

IOOC Definition: Unfiltered oil contains tiny particles of olive flesh, which leave the oil cloudy. Olive oil aficionados claim this adds additional flavor. Unfortunately, it causes a sediment to form at the bottom of the bottle over time, which can become rancid, negatively impacting flavor and shelf life. Unfiltered oil should be carefully stored and used within 3 to 6 months of bottling.

A mixture of table olives (photo © California Olive Ranch | Facebook).

USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture. Most countries use the IOOC standards. The U.S. is one of the few major markets that has not adopted the IOOC definitions. Instead, the USDA has a 1948 classification, which uses terms such as “fancy” and “choice.”  As of this writing, new standards are being presented for comment and adoption.

USDA logo. Image courtesy United States Department Of Agriculture.

TERROIR

Pronounced tur-WAH, the French word for soil, land, or terrain, “terroir” has long been used in wine and coffee analysis to denote the special characteristics of geography that give the grape or bean its individuality: soil, geology, aspect, and altitude. It is an extended meaning of the word for land and can be loosely translated as “a sense of place,” the sum of the effects that the environment has on the creation of what is grown there. The term can also be used to describe olive groves (or cacao beans, or cheese, any other agricultural product where the flavor is significantly impacted by its surroundings), as the same variety of olives grown in the same region can create different-tasting and different-colored oil based on the terroir of the grove. The term is now being used, appropriately, for cacao beans.

Young olive trees in New Zealand (photo © Village Press).