Bella Cerignola Olives Arconatura Florence

Bella Cerignola olives are known as the largest olives in the world and came from Spain to Italy around 1400 with the first crops in the Cerignola area. For this reason it is also called the Olive of Spain and is a local plant, which spread to America in the 1900s through emigrations and quickly became one of the most popular olives.

In 2000 the Bella Cerignola olive obtained the PDO designation because of its culinary value and the worth of the area where it is grown. Today you can also taste it in Florence and buy it at the Arcobaleno Food Srl shop.

How are Cerignola olives picked?

The harvest is by hand and begins in October by placing tarps under the olive trees to prevent the olives from touching the ground. In order to avoid bruising, irrigation is interrupted two weeks before. After the harvest, the olives are put in boxes and brought to the farm for further processing. Then olives are sorted according to size and degree of ripeness because the processing is different for green and black olives.

Bella Cerignola green Olives

In this case the olives undergo the Sevillian method: a 15 hours process that removes the bitterness from raw olives using a sodium-based substance. Afterwards, the olives are kept in water and salt for 30 days to help the fermentation process, resulting in the delicate aroma and taste, as well as the distinctive straw-yellow color.

Bella Cerignola Black Olives

In this case olives undergo the Californian method: the olives are placed in water, salt and a sodium solution for 30 days, then washed and oxidized in the water with compressed air. This leads the olives to get the characteristic vinous red tending to black colour. At this point the olives are packaged in sterilized containers, where they last up to three years.

Characteristics of the Bella Cerignola olive

The Bella Cerignola olive is the largest olive in the world and grows in an area called Tavoliere delle Puglie. The Bella Cerignola olive usually wheighs 30 grams, has an elongated shape with a firm and crisp flesh, and a rich flavor. It is an olive that stands up well to be preserved and among its beneficial properties there is the ability to prevent arteriosclerosis.

Arcobaleno Food Srl suggests serving this olive as an appetizer or to enrich meat and fish-based dishes. Bella Cerignola Olives are definitely a must-have in the classic Italian appetizer with cold cuts, artichokes, tomatoes and taralli. For those who buy the Bella Cerignola olives, can mathc them with a glass of fragrant white wine to fully grasp its taste and flavor.