Festival of olives in Andalusia

Festival of olives in Andalusia

As it is impossible to imagine Italian cuisine without the famous Parmesan cheese, so is simply unreal to imagine Spanish cuisine without olives or olive oil. It is clearly noticed in the Andalusian cuisine - the southern autonomous region of Spain. In Andalusia, in the city of Baena, which is also called "the capital of olives", annually, from 9 to 11 November takes part the Festival of olives (Las Jornadas del Olivar y el Aceite). This holiday is dedicated to the end of the olive harvest, as well as to everything that is associated with these unique fruits.

During the three-day festival in Baena will be held cooking contests, tastings, master classes from the most famous chefs and thematic lectures. Visitors will be able to learn all the nuances of growing, harvesting of olives and making oil from it. As well to understand the difference, for example, between oil from Virrey del Pino and Fuente Baena. Tourists will be also interested in visiting the museum of Oliva, located in the heart of Baena. Naturally, the festival is not limited only by olives and olive oil. All the guests will be able to taste local wines and a huge number of dishes of Andalusian cuisine. At the festival will be held an auction fair, which attracts restaurateurs and wholesalers from all over the world, as it is the biggest event of this type.

The main feature and value of olive oil is that it contains large amounts of oleic acid, due to which the organism is cleaned from cholesterol, and is slowed down the aging process. Real olive oil should be unrefined, unfiltered, with no preservatives and dyes, and have no defects of taste and aroma. To obtain such oil olive fruit is crushed to a state of paste, pressed, settled, and then the sediment and water are removed. On the label of the oil produced in Baena will be definitely placed the inscription «extra virgin».

Spain accounts for 45% of world production of olive oil, and Baena, respectively, is a region famous for the greatest diversity in the use of olives. The area of olive groves around Baena is about 400 square kilometers.

Date: 26/10/2010