Taggiasca: The Reasons Why This Olive Cultivar Is So Successful date back in time

 

Taggiasca: the rise and growth of a western Liguria olive variety

Taggiasca is Liguria’s best-renowned olive cultivar (short for cultivation variety), the glory of the westernmost section of the Italian Riviera. According to classical literature, the passage of olive oil culture from the Greek to the Etruscan/Roman world took place 2,600 years ago - a Mediterranean adventure rich in events and turning points, not to forget about an evident relationship with a definite geographical area. The surroundings of Taggia, in fact, have long featured excellent conditions (like other spots in western Liguria) for researching and developing plants, supported by grafting on olea oleaster (the wild olive plant).  

In 1972 a new research strand (still practiced today) started to investigate the economic factors behind the growth of Ligurian olive farming (especially in western areas). Historians and agronomists of the Napoleonic Age exalted the origins of Ligurian olive farming and, at the same time, highlighted its productive capacity. Production is the final output of the strenuous efforts needed to manage this challenging territory – the ideal setting for the Taggiasca olives (small fruit, high oil yield).

 

The Taggiasca is a table olive, too. It is Liguria’s best-known edible olive variety: brined, pitted, preserved in oil, or manufactured into pâté (similar to tapenade). 

When harvested, olives are very bitter. After months of natural processing – salt and Mediterranean aromas – we can eat them. Through time, the ingenious locals learnt how to “sweeten” the taste of olives.
The tradition of brined olives formerly spread among the affluent (and trading) bourgeoisie in Nice and Provence, too. At the beginning of WWII, Imperia manufacturers obtained the authorization of the Ministry of Agriculture to produce and trade a small quantity of brined taggiasca olives. Though the Salò Republic blocked the initiative (oil was in need), the path was open.
During the post-war years, the production of brined taggiasca olives and pâté, sauces and other preparations started in the province of Imperia. The mention of the “Taggiasca” cultivar - linked to table olives and olive paste - became common in academic literature, directories, recipe books and media coverage, not to forget about critics and chefs (Marco Guarnaschelli Gotti, Allan Bay, Davide Oldani, Alain Ducasse and several others).

Last but not least, Taggiasca is the protagonist of PDO Riviera Ligure EVO, namely in the Riviera dei Fiori sub-area, where it accounts for at least 90% of the total.

My English abstract of an article published on LiguriaFood

Luisa Puppo

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