GASTRONOMY
Golden delicious
Farmers in the Terres de l’Ebre are blending old techniques
with new ideas to produce gourmet olive oils
Have you ever tried chocolate and olive oil
together? At Terra de Burgans, a lush green
farm in a valley outside El Perelló, proprietor
Maite Pallarès presents visitors with
fingernail-sized cups made from dark, bitter
chocolate filled with smooth, golden extra
virgin olive oil. It tastes sweet, bitter – and
breathtakingly good.
The olive has been cultivated in Spain for
thousands of years. Today, the silvery green
trees are all over the country: in the south,
delicate saplings are packed together in
intensively-farmed irrigated rows, and across
Catalunya ancient trees weather the wild
winter winds on terraced family fincas.
This year, Spain will produce half of the
world’s olive oil. Global demand is growing,
with new markets emerging in developing
countries such as China and Russia.
Juliette Cayol of the International Olive
Council says that Spain has “great potential”
Ebre Connect, Summer 2017 7