The first 'Guide to the best extra virgin olive oils in Catalonia' is born

The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food presents the first edition of the Guide to the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oils of Catalonia, a compilation with exhaustive information on the gastronomic value of Catalan oil and its varieties and protected designations of origin. The guide also includes all the winning oils in the last edition of the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oils of Catalonia Awards, as well as the oils that scored more than 80 points in the two tasting phases of the competition, the first carried out by a group of official tasters from the Catalonia Tasting Panel and the second by a mixed group, also made up of international tasters.

The official presentation of the guide took place this afternoon at the Institute of Ocular Microsurgery of Barcelona (IMO), in an official ceremony presided over by the Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Òscar Ordeig, who stressed that the Government's aim, both in terms of the Awards and this guide, is to ‘encourage Catalan society to get to know a quality, local product that is one of the best ambassadors of the Mediterranean diet and the Mediterranean diet’. of Catalan gastronomy‘, and also ’to contribute to the promotion, marketing and consumption of Catalonia's top-quality extra virgin olive oils in the food market and restaurants".

The digital version of the Guide to the best extra virgin olive oils in Catalonia is available on the Department's website.

The olive oil sector in Catalonia

Olive growing is a very important agricultural activity in Catalonia, with a long olive-growing tradition in which the olive grove and its oil form an inseparable part of Catalan culture. In many regions, olive growing is a fundamental part of social, economic and landscape life.

The olive tree is, in fact, the main woody crop in Catalonia, accounting for almost 15% of the total agricultural surface area. Translated into hectares, this means a cultivated olive grove area of 114,101 ha.

The annual production of olives in Catalonia is 200,000 tonnes, and the predominant varieties are arbequina, morruda, sevillenca, injerto and farga, although up to 106 varieties of local interest have been identified in Catalonia, distributed throughout all the production areas.

On the other hand, Catalonia has traditionally been an oil-exporting country. Currently, the export of extra virgin olive oil packaged under Catalan brands has reached 60,200 tonnes per year, thus achieving a consolidated presence in 108 world markets.