Nocellara dell’Etna, Nocellara del Belice and Nocellara Messinese are just a few of the more than 500 varieties of olives in our country. Each quality extra virgin gives dishes a different and unique taste, and Sicily is the place where these three varieties find their best, from cultivation to the table.

Oil, one of the main and undisputed kings of Mediterranean cuisine, is the master in the homes of all Italians and Sicilians to a greater extent. “The wine that gladdens man’s heart, the oil that makes his face shine.”

“Oil with wise art squeezed
From the pure fruit of the year-old olive trees,
Which sing-peace! -in their mute language
Of the Umbrian hills pei solenti clivi,
Clear far more liquid crystal,
Fragrant as oriental unguent,
Pure as the flame that in the metal
Concave burns thee on the silver altar,
Thy rare virtues were not unknown
To the tables of Horatio and Varro
Who would not disdain to sing thee in their notes…”

Gabriele D’Annunzio

It is wise and ancient hands with recipes and traditions that have been handed down since ancient times that allow Sicily to hold one of the main records for the production of this most precious commodity to this day, but to fully understand the essence of such an important commodity one must know its provenance, its trees and its olives.

NOCELLARA OF ETNA (NOCELLARA DELL’ETNA)

The Nocellara dell’Etna tree is presented as a vigorous plant with an expansive habit and medium-dense foliage. “Augghialora”, “Paturnisa” and “Tortorella” are some of the names given to it, the Nocellara Etnea is a native Sicilian cultivar. It grows particularly in central and eastern Sicily, in the area between the provinces of Enna, Catania, Messina, Syracuse and Ragusa. Unlike its Belice cousin this cultivar comes into production at a rather early stage. Pollen production is rich as is flowering, while the veraison phase is generally late. The oil yield is around 16 percent and is therefore quite low.

THE SHAPE OF THE LEAVES

is lanceolate and slightly tapered with average size in both width and length. While the fruits are asymmetrical, elliptical in shape, have pointed apex and rounded base with umbo. On the surface, large but not very numerous lenticels are noticeable. The ratio of kernel to pulp is very high, and this character makes the Nocellara dell’Etna cultivar one of the best for the production of green table olives. The extra virgin olive oil for sale is characterized first and foremost by a very low level of acidity.

THE TASTE

can vary quite noticeably, however, depending on the stage of veraison during which harvesting and pressing take place. With olives that are not too ripe, a fruitiness imposes itself on the nose in which there are sensations of green tomato, grass leaf, almond or even thistle and artichoke. The fruitiness is of an intensity that fluctuates between medium and high, while at the level of taste and aftertaste this oil is quite spicy and somewhat bitter, while the sweetness increases if the oil is obtained from olives that are already ripe.

THE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL FROM NOCELLARA OF ETNA

extra virgin olive oil from Nocellara dell’Etna is rich in polyphenols and therefore endowed with excellent antioxidant properties with which the body defends itself against cardiovascular and neurological diseases, has a high digestibility and is excellent to use on raw and cooked foods and for the preparation of desserts. It is a highly prized variety of extra virgin oil.

NOCELLARA DEL BELICE

Smelling of antiquity, Nocellara del Belice is presented as one of Sicily’s indigenous plants, presumed to have been present on Sicilian soil since the time of Magna Graecia, to remind posterity that if average grown by men we feel, there are those who survive and have been producing prized products since the 8th century BC. Like its cousin Nocellara dell’Etna, this variety of Nocellara represents an extremely valuable cultivar and is one of Sicily’s most highly regarded native varieties.

Nocellara del Belice has a very high yield at the level of oil production, managing to reach peaks of 20 percent, even though the ripening period is rather late. It is an olive characterized by a very good level of fruit productivity.

HISTORY.

Present since time immemorial in the province of Trapani, its great adaptability has allowed it to take root well in the areas of Agrigento and Palermo, eventually expanding into Eastern Sicily.

The olives of this particular variety lend themselves well both to table consumption and to processing for oil. In fact, the latter itself has a coloration that can range from yellow to deep green and a very low acidity (below 0.5 percent). On the nose, extra virgin olive oil for sale has a medium intensity olive fruitiness, accompanied by notes of almond, green tomato, cut grass, artichoke and sometimes herbs. The taste is bitter, slightly spicy with a hint of sweet.

IN THE KITCHEN.

In cooking, oil derived from Nocellara del Belice is at its best both raw (for seasoning soups, vegetables and salads) and cooked (in the preparation of roasts and fried foods, both meat and fish) due to the fact that its smoke point is higher than other types of oils. Table olives, on the other hand, can be prepared either black or green using brine methods or the so-called Seville method. It has a high polyphenol content, so consumption of this oil helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, while its high content of highly digestible fats helps reduce cholesterol and blood sugar.

But Nocellara del Bèlice or Belìce? (trivia and historical notes)

Even Head of State Mattarella was confused. And it was all he talked about on twitter, exactly 50 years after the earthquake.

But is the word Bèlice or Belìce? The word in fact comes from the Arabic Belìch, the name of a castle that stood in the area. It also draws its accent from its origins.

The then president of the Fondazione Orestiadi di Gibellina, Ludovico Corrao, more than once stated, “The pronunciation Belice is actually a mispronunciation coined by northern journalists who arrived in Sicily after the 1968 earthquake″.

Paolo Rumiz writes: “Belìce was the name given to the valley that descends from Salaparuta to the acropolis of Selinunte on the Sicilian Channel. Belìce with the accent on the “i.” Then came the earthquake and national TV said Bèlice, with that backward on the “e” that became synonymous with failure, and so the valley lost its name, having already lost its memory. Today, not even Sicilians call the place the right way anymore, all’araba, from the ancient name of the river – U-Bilìk – which descends with twin tributaries from Piana degli Albanesi and Corleone.”

NOCELLARA MESSINESE

Less famous and widespread than its “cousins” from Belice and Etna, Nocellara Messinese is an indigenous Sicilian cultivar. Present in olive groves in the Messina, Catania and Syracuse areas (but also in some areas of neighboring Calabria), it often shares some areas with Nocellara dell’Etna. The Messinese is also known by the synonyms “Nuciddara”, “Verdella” and “Turdunazza” “Antimosca” and is used both for the production of extra virgin oil for sale to the public and for table consumption.

CHARACTERISTICS

Its less “invasive” spread is probably related to some inherent weaknesses, such as its poor resistance to low temperatures (a factor that therefore discourages its cultivation in hilly or mountainous areas) and water shortage. However, this cultivar is self-compatible and therefore does not pose particular difficulties with regard to pollination. Unlike the others, it has good resistance to fly attacks and lead malaise, while it is quite susceptible to peacock’s eye.

THE PLANT

The Nocellara Messinese plant has an expansive habit, medium vigor and a rather dense crown. The leaves are medium-sized, lanceolate in shape and lack longitudinal curvature. The drupes, very large in size (in fact, it is common to weigh more than even six grams) and very fleshy flesh due to the pulp-to-stone ratio. The Nocellara Messinese is characterized by a medium veraison period and a harvest stage that ideally takes place during the month of October.

PRODUCTIVITY

The productivity of this cultivar is high, while the oil yield is medium (between 16 and 20 percent) the acidity rather low. Fruits have a symmetrical ovoid shape, with round apex, presence of umbo and rounded base, and on the surface have numerous rather large lenticels. Nocellara Messinese olives when ripe are tinged with a black color tending to purplish.

THE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

The EVO oil obtained thanks to the pressing of Nocellara Messinese olives has a yellow coloring mixed with green and to the nose is marked as a fruity of not too high intensity to which are usually associated sensations of almond, cut grass, tomato, branch, artichoke and aromatic herbs. The taste is characterized by the presence of spiciness, while less pronounced but still present are the sweet and bitter sensations.

NUTRIENTS

The high content of tocopherols and monounsaturated, highly digestible fats make this oil an excellent ingredient for those seeking dishes with high antioxidant content and for those struggling with low-cholesterol diets. Low acidity means that extra virgin olive oil has a higher smoke point than other oils, making it ideal for the preparation of both meat and fish fried foods. However, its suitability is also excellent for seasoning raw foods, vegetables and salads.

Nocellara dell’Etna, Nocellara del Belice and Nocellara Messinese are just a few of the more than 500 varieties of olives in our country. Each quality extra virgin gives dishes a different and unique taste, and Sicily is the place where these three varieties find their best, from cultivation to the table.

Oil, one of the main and undisputed kings of Mediterranean cuisine, is the master in the homes of all Italians and Sicilians to a greater extent. “The wine that gladdens man’s heart, the oil that makes his face shine.”

“Oil with wise art squeezed
From the pure fruit of the year-old olive trees,
Which sing-peace! -in their mute language
Of the Umbrian hills pei solenti clivi,
Clear far more liquid crystal,
Fragrant as oriental unguent,
Pure as the flame that in the metal
Concave burns thee on the silver altar,
Thy rare virtues were not unknown
To the tables of Horatio and Varro
Who would not disdain to sing thee in their notes…”

Gabriele D’Annunzio

It is wise and ancient hands with recipes and traditions that have been handed down since ancient times that allow Sicily to hold one of the main records for the production of this most precious commodity to this day, but to fully understand the essence of such an important commodity one must know its provenance, its trees and its olives.

NOCELLARA OF ETNA (NOCELLARA DELL’ETNA)

The Nocellara dell’Etna tree is presented as a vigorous plant with an expansive habit and medium-dense foliage. “Augghialora”, “Paturnisa” and “Tortorella” are some of the names given to it, the Nocellara Etnea is a native Sicilian cultivar. It grows particularly in central and eastern Sicily, in the area between the provinces of Enna, Catania, Messina, Syracuse and Ragusa. Unlike its Belice cousin this cultivar comes into production at a rather early stage. Pollen production is rich as is flowering, while the veraison phase is generally late. The oil yield is around 16 percent and is therefore quite low.

THE SHAPE OF THE LEAVES

is lanceolate and slightly tapered with average size in both width and length. While the fruits are asymmetrical, elliptical in shape, have pointed apex and rounded base with umbo. On the surface, large but not very numerous lenticels are noticeable. The ratio of kernel to pulp is very high, and this character makes the Nocellara dell’Etna cultivar one of the best for the production of green table olives. The extra virgin olive oil for sale is characterized first and foremost by a very low level of acidity.

THE TASTE

can vary quite noticeably, however, depending on the stage of veraison during which harvesting and pressing take place. With olives that are not too ripe, a fruitiness imposes itself on the nose in which there are sensations of green tomato, grass leaf, almond or even thistle and artichoke. The fruitiness is of an intensity that fluctuates between medium and high, while at the level of taste and aftertaste this oil is quite spicy and somewhat bitter, while the sweetness increases if the oil is obtained from olives that are already ripe.

THE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL FROM NOCELLARA OF ETNA

extra virgin olive oil from Nocellara dell’Etna is rich in polyphenols and therefore endowed with excellent antioxidant properties with which the body defends itself against cardiovascular and neurological diseases, has a high digestibility and is excellent to use on raw and cooked foods and for the preparation of desserts. It is a highly prized variety of extra virgin oil.

NOCELLARA DEL BELICE

Smelling of antiquity, Nocellara del Belice is presented as one of Sicily’s indigenous plants, presumed to have been present on Sicilian soil since the time of Magna Graecia, to remind posterity that if average grown by men we feel, there are those who survive and have been producing prized products since the 8th century BC. Like its cousin Nocellara dell’Etna, this variety of Nocellara represents an extremely valuable cultivar and is one of Sicily’s most highly regarded native varieties.

Nocellara del Belice has a very high yield at the level of oil production, managing to reach peaks of 20 percent, even though the ripening period is rather late. It is an olive characterized by a very good level of fruit productivity.

HISTORY.

Present since time immemorial in the province of Trapani, its great adaptability has allowed it to take root well in the areas of Agrigento and Palermo, eventually expanding into Eastern Sicily.

The olives of this particular variety lend themselves well both to table consumption and to processing for oil. In fact, the latter itself has a coloration that can range from yellow to deep green and a very low acidity (below 0.5 percent). On the nose, extra virgin olive oil for sale has a medium intensity olive fruitiness, accompanied by notes of almond, green tomato, cut grass, artichoke and sometimes herbs. The taste is bitter, slightly spicy with a hint of sweet.

IN THE KITCHEN.

In cooking, oil derived from Nocellara del Belice is at its best both raw (for seasoning soups, vegetables and salads) and cooked (in the preparation of roasts and fried foods, both meat and fish) due to the fact that its smoke point is higher than other types of oils. Table olives, on the other hand, can be prepared either black or green using brine methods or the so-called Seville method. It has a high polyphenol content, so consumption of this oil helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, while its high content of highly digestible fats helps reduce cholesterol and blood sugar.

But Nocellara del Bèlice or Belìce? (trivia and historical notes)

Even Head of State Mattarella was confused. And it was all he talked about on twitter, exactly 50 years after the earthquake.

But is the word Bèlice or Belìce? The word in fact comes from the Arabic Belìch, the name of a castle that stood in the area. It also draws its accent from its origins.

The then president of the Fondazione Orestiadi di Gibellina, Ludovico Corrao, more than once stated, “The pronunciation Belice is actually a mispronunciation coined by northern journalists who arrived in Sicily after the 1968 earthquake″.

Paolo Rumiz writes: “Belìce was the name given to the valley that descends from Salaparuta to the acropolis of Selinunte on the Sicilian Channel. Belìce with the accent on the “i.” Then came the earthquake and national TV said Bèlice, with that backward on the “e” that became synonymous with failure, and so the valley lost its name, having already lost its memory. Today, not even Sicilians call the place the right way anymore, all’araba, from the ancient name of the river – U-Bilìk – which descends with twin tributaries from Piana degli Albanesi and Corleone.”

NOCELLARA MESSINESE

Less famous and widespread than its “cousins” from Belice and Etna, Nocellara Messinese is an indigenous Sicilian cultivar. Present in olive groves in the Messina, Catania and Syracuse areas (but also in some areas of neighboring Calabria), it often shares some areas with Nocellara dell’Etna. The Messinese is also known by the synonyms “Nuciddara”, “Verdella” and “Turdunazza” “Antimosca” and is used both for the production of extra virgin oil for sale to the public and for table consumption.

CHARACTERISTICS

Its less “invasive” spread is probably related to some inherent weaknesses, such as its poor resistance to low temperatures (a factor that therefore discourages its cultivation in hilly or mountainous areas) and water shortage. However, this cultivar is self-compatible and therefore does not pose particular difficulties with regard to pollination. Unlike the others, it has good resistance to fly attacks and lead malaise, while it is quite susceptible to peacock’s eye.

THE PLANT

The Nocellara Messinese plant has an expansive habit, medium vigor and a rather dense crown. The leaves are medium-sized, lanceolate in shape and lack longitudinal curvature. The drupes, very large in size (in fact, it is common to weigh more than even six grams) and very fleshy flesh due to the pulp-to-stone ratio. The Nocellara Messinese is characterized by a medium veraison period and a harvest stage that ideally takes place during the month of October.

PRODUCTIVITY

The productivity of this cultivar is high, while the oil yield is medium (between 16 and 20 percent) the acidity rather low. Fruits have a symmetrical ovoid shape, with round apex, presence of umbo and rounded base, and on the surface have numerous rather large lenticels. Nocellara Messinese olives when ripe are tinged with a black color tending to purplish.

THE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

The EVO oil obtained thanks to the pressing of Nocellara Messinese olives has a yellow coloring mixed with green and to the nose is marked as a fruity of not too high intensity to which are usually associated sensations of almond, cut grass, tomato, branch, artichoke and aromatic herbs. The taste is characterized by the presence of spiciness, while less pronounced but still present are the sweet and bitter sensations.

NUTRIENTS

The high content of tocopherols and monounsaturated, highly digestible fats make this oil an excellent ingredient for those seeking dishes with high antioxidant content and for those struggling with low-cholesterol diets. Low acidity means that extra virgin olive oil has a higher smoke point than other oils, making it ideal for the preparation of both meat and fish fried foods. However, its suitability is also excellent for seasoning raw foods, vegetables and salads.