Empeltre is a type of medium-sized, black
olive
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...
originating in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. It is used both as a table olive and to produce a high-quality olive oil.
''Empeltre'' olives are primarily grown in the Spanish regions of
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
and the
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...
. It is present along the
Ebro
The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a de ...
river basin from the
Rioja and
Navarra
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
to the
province of Castellón
Castellón (); co-officially in ) is a province in the northern part of the Valencian Community. It is bordered by the provinces of Valencia to the south, Teruel to the west, Tarragona to the north, and by the Mediterranean Sea to the east. T ...
and southern
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
, (where it is also called "Terra Alta" and "De la Llei"). There are 80,000 hectares of this variety in Spain. In the
Americas
The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
there are plantations in
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
(Mendoza and Córdoba).
Distribution
The ''Empeltre'' cultivar is grown in the communities and regions of
Huesca
Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...
,
Zaragoza
Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
, and
Teruel
Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel (province), Teruel Province. It had a population of 35,900 as of 2022, making it the least populated provincial capital in Spain. It is noted for its har ...
, as well as
La Rioja
La Rioja () is an autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community and provinces of Spain, province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other List of municipalities in La Rioja, cities and towns in the ...
and
Navarra
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
and Castellón. It is the main variety in the Denomination of Origin ''Oil of the
Bajo Aragón''.
Agronomic characteristics
The term ''empeltre'' is related to the Catalan word ''empelt'' or the Aragonese ''impelte'', which means "
graft
Graft or grafting may refer to:
*Graft (politics), a form of political corruption
*Graft, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Graft-De Rijp
Science and technology
*Graft (surgery), a surgical procedure
*Grafting, the joining of plant ti ...
". This is due to the fact that this type of olive tree has a very low rooting capacity, which forces the graft to be derived as a form of reproduction.
The olive trees of the Empeltre variety have a large wingspan as well as bright dark green leaves and early maturing black olives. They have a long form, asymmetrical and slightly pumped by the back. They have an average volume of 2.7 grams with a pulp / bone ratio of 5:3 and a yield of 18.3%. The empeltre variety provides a yellow-colored smooth oil that is sweet and aromatic with no bitterness.
Synonyms
''Aceite'' (De), also ''Castellana'', ''Cornicabra'', ''Lechin de Granada'', ''Picual'', ''Aragones'', ''Aragonesa'', ''Aragonesa de Tortosa'', ''Comùn'', ''Farga'', ''Fina'', ''Injerto'', ''Llei'', ''Macho'', ''Mallorquina'' in the
Majorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
area only., ''Navarro'', ''Negra'', ''Negral'', ''Negral de Calatayud'', ''Negral Fino'', ''Negrala'', ''Negreta'', ''Salseña'', ''Terra Alta'', ''Tordero'', ''Verdiel'', and ''Zaragozana''. Related: ''Callosina'', ''Morisca'', ''Cornezuelo de Jaén'', ''Cornicabra de Baza'', ''Cornicabra de Jerez de los Caballeros'', and ''Cornicabra de Mérida''.
Olea Database: ''Empeltre''
Retrieved 2018-07-10
See also
* List of olive cultivars
There are hundreds of cultivars of the olive (''Olive, Olea europaea''). As one of the oldest and more important domesticated crops raised by humans, the olive tree has diverged naturally and with the assistance of man into many varieties. Olive cu ...
References
External links
Directly from the oldest olive trees in Spain comes the Empeltre olive
{{Olives
Olive cultivars