Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 100% Empeltre, SalzySalz

Its origins date back to 1870 in Agón, a village located at the foot of the Moncayo mountain range in Aragón, Spain, where the Medina family began cultivating olive trees, maintaining a family tradition based on love for their land, their roots, and tradition. Salz Medina, the 4th generation, created the brand as a tribute to her family’s hard work and to her homeland, preserving the native cultivation of the Empeltre variety, which helps maintain the natural balance of the land. Superior-category extra virgin olive oil, obtained directly from olives and solely by mechanical means, from an early harvest. This oil is classified within the highest category of virgin olive oils: an early-harvest, cold-extracted extra virgin olive oil with a high polyphenol content.

Its color is like liquid gold, and its flavor includes spicy notes due to the early harvest, which gives it a higher amount of polyphenols that are, in turn, a source of vitamins A and E.

Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal skin and the normal function of the immune system.

Vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

Technical sheet:

Ingredients: 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Pairing: at Made in Spain Gourmet we recommend it for salad dressings, grilled vegetables, vegetable creams, fresh cheese, white fish, and poultry. It has a high POLYPHENOL content and a high percentage of ANTIOXIDANTS.

Producer: SalzySalz,

Origin: Agón (Aragón)

Variety: Empeltre

Nutritional Information per 100 g:

• Energy Value – 3700kj/900 Kcal
• Fat – 100 g
• of which saturates – 14 g
• Monounsaturated fatty acids – 76 g
• Polyunsaturated fatty acids – 10 g
• Carbohydrates – 0 g
• of which sugars – 0 g
• Protein – 0 g
• Salt – 0 g
• Vitamin E – 20 mg*(200%RDI)

*Recommended Daily Intake by the EU.

Store in a cool place away from light and heat.

Empeltre variety: native to Aragón

The Empeltre variety is the most characteristic olive tree of Aragón; it is a native variety, also known as “Aragonesa”.

Empeltre has been cultivated by Phoenicians and Romans in our territory for centuries, making it one of the oldest olive varieties in the world.

An early-ripening, medium-sized jet-black olive.

The benefits of extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin oil is obtained by harvesting the olive just as it changes color, when it goes from green to purple. The ideal months for harvesting are November and December. At this moment, the olives stand out especially for their intense flavor and aroma.

What health benefits does it offer? From a nutritional point of view, it is an excellent oil for contributing to our well-being. Some of its most notable benefits are:

High antioxidant properties.

High concentration of vitamins, especially A, D, and E.

High polyphenol content, known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Good level of oleic acid and monounsaturated fats, which improve nutrient absorption, support the body’s defenses, and reduce cholesterol and triglycerides.

The most important olive varieties in Spain

There are as many varieties of olive oils as there are varieties of olive trees and their fruits used for oil extraction. And Spain is the world’s leading producer of EVOO

It is very important to distinguish between “variety” and “quality” in olive oils: two different olive tree species will produce different varieties of oil, yet they may be of the same quality.

In Spain, more than 250 cultivable varieties and different olive trees have been cataloged since olive growing began on the Iberian Peninsula. However, not all of these olive varieties are cultivated equally, and just over 20 have become widely established. Only four varieties account for 60 % of olive growing, and one of them, the Picual variety, produces practically half of Spanish oil and almost 100 % of the oil in the province of Jaén.

With this great diversity of olive trees, it is possible to obtain oils made from a single olive variety.

However, there are also oils in which two or more oils (obtained from a single olive variety) have been blended in specific proportions to complement and shape the sensory characteristics of the resulting oil.

These are some of the best-known and most widely used varieties in Spain:

• Arbequina: The most representative of Catalonia, it produces fruity oils, ranging from greenish to yellow, with aromas of apple and fresh almond, soft and sweet. The plant has low vigor, with long, sparsely branched shoots. The leaf is channeled and widened at the tip, while the fruit is small, oval, and almost symmetrical.
• Cornicabra: Dominates the entire central area (Toledo, Ciudad Real, and Madrid). Its oils range in color from greenish yellow to gold. Fresh aromas and a flavor between sweet, bitter, and slightly spicy. The tree has medium vigor, medium-length branches, and limited shoot formation. The leaf is long and lanceolate, and the fruit is long, curved, asymmetrical, and horn-shaped on the underside.
• Empeltre: A typical olive of Bajo Aragón. It is used to make oils ranging in color from straw yellow to old gold. It has fruit aromas, especially apple, and a smooth, sweet flavor. A highly vigorous tree with upright branches and broad, slightly warped leaves. The fruit is asymmetrical and elongated.
• Hojiblanca: The dominant variety in Málaga and Córdoba, suitable both for oil and for table olives. It produces intense green oils, with aromas of ripe fruit and hints of avocado, offering a pleasant flavor with slight bitter and peppery notes. The tree’s vigor is medium to good, with a medium-density canopy. The leaf is elongated and partially channeled, and the fruit is large and oblong.
• Picual: The great predominant variety in Jaén. Its oil has great stability and personality, strength, fruitiness, intense bitterness, and clear peppery tones. The tree has good vigor, with vigorous canopies and abundant foliage. The leaf is elongated and the fruit ellipsoidal.
• Picudo: or picuda, also known as Carrasqueña de Córdoba. This variety is widespread in the provinces of Córdoba, Granada, Málaga, and Jaén. Its oil is delicate in the face of oxidation. Light flavors and aromas reminiscent of exotic fruits, as well as apple and almond notes, can be found.
• Farga: A variety originating in southern Tarragona and northern Castellón, and also found to some extent in the province of Teruel. Its trees are highly vigorous, with an open habit and straight, slightly pendulous branches. They have a leafy canopy, where the fruits are sometimes found isolated. These fruits are small to medium in size and hang from a long peduncle. They ripen early and have strong resistance to detachment. The oil yield is high (26-28 %), with very good-quality oils.
• Blanqueta: Grown in Alicante and southern Valencia. It produces leaf-green oils and fruity aromas with notes of green tomato. On the palate it develops spicy and gently bitter sensations. The tree has low vigor with short branches; the leaf is short and lanceolate, and the fruit is somewhat oval and slightly asymmetrical.
• Cacereña: Also called Manzanilla cacereña because of its spread throughout the province of Cáceres. It is a dual-purpose variety and highly prized for curing, both green and black, due to the quality of its flesh. It is a low-vigor tree, with early flowering and ripening. Its leaves are flat and of medium length, and the fruits are spherical, though somewhat asymmetrical.
• Verdial de Badajoz: Present in the Guadiana river plains. It produces oils with aromas of green olive and nuts (almond). On the palate, its sweetness stands out. The tree is drought-resistant and is used as rootstock. The fruit is large and dual-purpose.
• Lechín de Sevilla: Found mainly in the provinces of Sevilla and Córdoba. Its oil is relatively unstable, with a medium, balanced aroma and a bitter flavor. The tree is vigorous, with short branches and a dense canopy. The leaf is short and almost flat, and the fruit is ellipsoidal and somewhat convex on the back.
• Manzanilla: Grown in the province of Sevilla, mainly near the capital. The tree has low vigor and a sparse canopy. The leaves are short and thick, and the fruit is oval. It is used mainly as a table olive for curing.
• Gordal: Without a doubt, this is one of the most famous olive varieties in the world. Gordal Sevillana is used mainly to produce table olives, known for their large size, which sets them apart from all other varieties. It is grown mainly in Sevilla, although it has also been successfully cultivated in other areas of Spain. It is generally not used to produce olive oil because of its low fat yield.

Harvesting and Transport

From the olive tree to our tables, Extra Virgin Olive Oil follows these steps in its production: olive harvesting and transport:

The harvesting of olives destined for milling. Olive harvesting usually begins in the months of November and December and normally finishes in January and February. It is necessary to collect the olives as they reach ripeness and no later, because otherwise the fruit can become damaged and the quality of the oil would decrease. It should also be noted that, to obtain higher-quality oil, earlier harvesting is increasingly being chosen.

There are different ways to harvest olives while avoiding damage, since this would affect the quality of the oil:

• Hand-picking: harvested by hand, one by one. This harvesting method is normally used to collect table olives.
• Shaking: the trunk or branches of the olive tree are shaken so the fruit can be detached. This method is carried out mechanically, either through vibrators mounted on tractors or other means, or with other small machines. It is also important to note that, although in recent years this method has helped make olive harvesting easier and faster, it can also damage the olive tree.
• Beating: the most important and traditional method. It consists of gently striking the branches of the olive tree so the ripe olives fall. In beating, the olive tree is struck with a pole of about four meters, laterally and from top to bottom. In the past, the olive tree was struck with wooden poles; these have now been replaced by modern polyester poles. In this harvesting method, a net or “mantón” is also usually placed under the olive tree canopy so the olives fall onto it and, when collected, do not mix with stones and soil from the ground, thus obtaining olives directly from the tree and therefore of quality.

The Transport of olives must take place immediately after harvesting, since the fruits must be processed within a maximum of 24 hours so that they retain all their properties and a higher-quality oil is obtained. Today, for olive transport, many mills offer farmers the possibility of transporting olives that come directly from the olive tree—that is, olives that have not fallen to the ground and have not been mixed with soil and stones—in order to obtain the desired quality oil. The traditional facilities where olive oil is extracted are called almazaras, a name derived from the Arabic al-mas’sara, which means to extract or to press. Olives should not be piled high in order to avoid heating and fermentation.

Selection and Washing

Once the olives have arrived at the mill, the next step is to prepare the fruit for extraction, through olive selection and washing.

SELECTION

Before the olives begin to be handled, they are sorted according to their characteristics to produce extra virgin oil. Good oil is obtained only from healthy, ripe, and whole olives.

WASHING

Once the olives on the lines or conveyor belts pass through a ventilation area where an air current separates any leaves and branches they may have.

They are then washed with drinking water to remove possible impurities, mud, or stones.

Extraction

MILLING consists of crushing and breaking the whole olive (without pitting) in order to facilitate the release and separation of the oil it contains. Today, metal mills or crushers are used, which may be in the form of a toothed wheel or hammer.

Previously, a stone mill was used for milling.

MALAXATION

The olive mass or paste obtained in the mill is mixed in order to encourage the release of the oil. The oil droplets gradually come together to form a larger phase that is more easily separated from the aqueous phase (olive water) and the solid phase or pomace (skin, pulp, and broken pits).

The malaxation temperature must not exceed 30º C so that aromatic compounds are not lost and oxidation processes are not accelerated.

Its main advantage was that it crushed the olives without causing emulsions or heating, eliminating the risk of metal contamination, but it was a slow and costly method.

CENTRIFUGATION

To completely separate the oil from the vegetation water and the pomace, the olive paste is placed in a vacuum centrifuge. By spinning the paste at high speed, the pomace, water, and oil are separated according to their density.

Storage

Once the oil has been obtained, it is essential to store it in optimal conditions so that it reaches the consumer with all its qualities. The tank material must be inert (vitrified tile, stainless steel, polyester-fiberglass, etc.). Never iron or copper, as they promote oxidation.

The ideal temperature is between 15 and 18 º C to allow the oils to mature without encouraging oxidation.