Description
The Huile d'Olive de Nice PDO is a virgin olive oil obtained by olives of the Cailletier type. However, every orchard includes olive plants of pollination or of antique, local types like Arabanier, Blanquetier, Blavet, Nostral and Ribeyrou. These types cannot be more than 5% of the trees existing in each cultivation unit and of the total amount of olives picked up.
Production Area
The production area of Huile d'Olive de Nice PDO covers 99 municipal areas of the department of Alpes-Maritimes, in the region of Provence-Alpes-Azur.
Production Method
The picking up takes place at the beginning of the ripening process and when at least 50% of olives have achieved a wine-red colour. The olives must be picked up by hand or through beating with a pole or with traditional or mechanical means. Once picked up, the olive are conserved and transported in rigid and aerated cases or containers and can be stored in mills for maximum seven days. The process is cold made by mechanical or physical methods at a maximum temperature of 30°C to separate the oils before the first pressing; avoiding that the heat could change the organoleptic values of the final product. The only treatments allowed are washing, decantation, centrifuging and filtering.
Appearance and Flavour
The Huile d'Olive de Nice PDO is sweet oil with a discrete olfactory intensity, good finesse, scents of ripe apple and dry fruits like hazelnuts and almonds.
History
The Huile d'Olive de Nice PDO is produced in the Alpes Maritimes where the olive tree has been a part of the landscape for over two thousand years, as demonstrated by the century-old olive groves and the ancient mills, whose working depends on the Genovese system used by Contes and dated back to the 13th century, when the mill was driven by a water wheel and its gears were completely in wood. The oil has always been one of the essential cultivations of the populations of Comté de Nice and the Côte d'Azur. Above all in the period going from the end of the 19th century until the Second World War, Nice distinguished itself as a reference point of the international marketing of olive oil of Riviera type and it is still famous today due to the production of Huile d'Olive de Nice PDO.
Gastronomy
The olive oil is a non-durable food which needs a right conservation to maintain its organoleptic features. So, it must be conserved in fresh rooms protected from light, at a temperature between 14°C and 18°C, far from heat sources and from products releasing odours. In addition, it must be consumed within four-six months from pressing to taste it in the period when its flavour is at the top. It is suggested to consume the Huile d'Olive de Nice PDO when raw to appreciate better its scents and fruity flavour. A lowtemperature cooking is suggested to maintain all the olive oil features when preparing warm dishes. The Huile d'Olive de Nice PDO is used to season the famous Nice salad with rice, tuna, tomatoes, eggs and olives.
Marketing
The product is sold only as Huile d'Olive de Nice PDO. It is marketed packed in glass or metal sheet containers.
Distinctive Features
The tradition and the history linked to Huile d'Olive de Nice PDO make this product unique and characterised by olfactory sweetness and intensity.
