Picholine

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Picholine
Cocktail olives.jpg
The Picholine is best known as a cocktail olive.
Olive (Olea europaea)
Color of the ripe fruitGreen
Also calledColliasse, Fausse Lucques, Piquette
OriginFrance
Notable regions Provence, worldwide
Hazards Gloeosporium olivarum , Palpita unionalis
UseOil and table
Oil contentLow/medium
FertilityPartially self-fertile
Growth formSpreading
LeafElliptic-lanceolate
Weight3–5 g
ShapeOvoid
SymmetrySlightly asymmetrical

The Picholine is a French cultivar of olives. It is the most widely available cultivar in France. [1] Though originally from Gard in southern France, it is today grown all over the world. The Picholine is best known as a cocktail olive, though it is also used to make olive oil. It is the most common variety of olive used for oil from Morocco. [2]

Contents

Extent

The Picholine olive is originally from the region of Gard in southern France. [3] Even though it is today most common in Provence and other parts of France and Italy, [1] it is also grown in Morocco, Israel, Chile, the United States and other places around the world. [3] [4]

Synonyms

The Picholine has many different names of local variety. In Gard and southern France it is referred to as Coiasse, Colliasse, Piquette, Plant de Collias, Fausse Lucques (false Lucques) or Lucques Batarde (bastard Lucques). In Tunisia is it called Judoleine, while in other countries it is often named Picholine de Languedoc after its historic region of origin (Gard is part of Languedoc). [4]

Characteristics

It is a cultivar of middle strength, with a spreading growth form, and medium size, and a crown of an open shape. [5] The leaves are elliptic-lanceolate, of a medium length and width. [6] The olives are of medium weight (3–5 g), [5] ovoid shape and slightly asymmetrical. [6] The stone is pointed at both ends, with a smooth surface and a mucro. [4]

The fruit is harvested in October and November, while still green, for use as table olives. [3] For the purpose of producing oil, the olives are picked later, once they have turned black. [5] The exact time of harvest for oil is a matter of judgement for the individual farmer; an early harvest gives a fruity taste, while a later harvest brings out more sweetness. [3]

Processing

The Picholine is most notable for its use as a cocktail olive. [3] For this purpose they are lye cured, then fermented in brine for up to a year, giving them a slightly salty taste. [1] It is also used for extraction of oil, but gives only a medium yield. Normally 20–22% can be extracted, but plants under irrigation sometimes produce as little as 15–18%. [1] The taste of the oil is fruity with a hint of bitterness. [1]

Agronomy

It is considered a cultivar of good, constant production. [7] The tree is of medium size, and assumes a low, spread-out form when carrying fruit. [3] It adapts well to different forms of soils and climates. [3]

It is generally agreed that the cultivar is only partially self-fertile, so it can take advantage of a certain presence of pollinators. [7] Among the olive cultivars used for pollination are the Bouteillan, Leccino, Lucques, Manzanillo, and Sigoise. [5]

It is vulnerable to certain organic pests, including Gloeosporium olivarum , Palpita unionalis and Liothrips oleae . [8] It is also vulnerable to cold; while an adult tree can sustain temperatures down to −12 °C to −14 °C (+10 to 14 °F), young trees need much higher temperatures to survive. This can be a problem in the Gard and Provence regions, where winters can often be fierce. [3]

Cross breeding

Hybridization of the Picholine and Manzanillo (Bellini et al 2002b) resulted in the newer cultivars Arno, Tevere, and Basento. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

Olive Species of flowering plant in the family Oleaceae

The olive, botanical name Olea europaea, meaning 'European olive', is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. The species is cultivated in all the countries of the Mediterranean, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, North and South America and South Africa. Olea europaea is the type species for the genus Olea.

Manzanillo or manzanillo may refer to:

Arbequina Cultivar of olives

Arbequina is a cultivar of olives. The fruit is highly aromatic, small, symmetrical and dark brown, with a rounded apex and a broad peduncular cavity. In Europe, it is mostly grown in Catalonia, Spain, but it is also grown in Aragon and Andalusia, as well as California, Argentina, Chile, Australia and Azerbaijan. It has recently become one of the dominant olive cultivars in the world, largely under highly intensive, "super high-density" plantation.

Bosana Olive cultivar

The Bosana is the most common cultivar of olives in Sardinia. It makes up over 50% of the olive production on the island. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but it could refer to an alleged origin in the territory of Bosa. It is maintained, however, that the cultivar is of Spanish origin. It is used primarily for oil, but can also be eaten. The Bosana is a variety well adapted to less hospitable environments.

Lucques Olive cultivar

The Lucques is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in Languedoc in France. It is primarily used as a green table olive. It can also produce high quality oil, but this is hard to extract. Though vulnerable to certain pests, it is relatively resistant to cold and drought.

Aglandau Olive cultivar

The Aglandau is one of the more important of approximately a hundred cultivars of olives in France. It is grown primarily in Provence, but also as far away as Azerbaijan and Ukraine. The 'Aglandau' is primarily used for production of oil, but can also be eaten. When used as table olives, the fruit is normally called Beruguette. The oil is highly valued for its fruity taste.

The Salonenque, carrying the name of Salon-de-Provence, is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in Provence. Though it is used for producing oil, and gives a good yield, it is valued primarily as a table olive. It is produced as a so-called cracked olive, which means that the fruit is cracked to speed up the curing process.

The Olivière is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of southern France, where it is the most prevalent variety of olives. It is highly valued for its exceptionally high tolerance to cold. The Olivière is primarily used for oil, and even though the fruit yields a low percentage, the trees carry large quantities of olives, and the oil is of high quality.

Tanche Olive cultivar

The Tanche, probably the best known French olive cultivar, is grown primarily in the Drôme and Vaucluse regions of southern France. It is often referred to as a perle noire, the "Black Pearl of Provence". The Tanche is said to have been introduced to France by the Greeks of Massilia, around the fourth century BC.

The Bouteillan is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in Provence. Originally from the town of Aups in the Var département, it is today grown also in Australia and the United States. It is mostly used for the production of oil. The Bouteillan is vulnerable to certain pests, but has a good resistance to cold.

Cailletier Olive cultivar

The Cailletier, also known in English by the Italian name Taggiasca, is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in the Alpes-Maritimes region near Nice and the Riviera di Ponente, Italy. It is best known under the name Niçoise, which signifies its curing method. It is commonly used as an important ingredient in the salade niçoise. It can also be used for the production of oil. This cultivar is particularly susceptible to the olive fruit fly.

Grossane Olive cultivar

The Grossane is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in the Vallée des Baux and Bouches-du-Rhône regions of southern France. Though it can be used to produce oil, it is primarily used as a black table olive. Vulnerable to certain biological pests, it is highly resistant to cold and drought.

The Germaine, also Ghjermana, Ghermana, Germana, and sometimes as Romana, is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in Corsica, but also in parts of northern Italy. Genetically it is close to the cultivar Frantoio, that is grown in the Italian region of Tuscany. The Germaine has a good yield of oil, and the plant is resistant to cold weather.

Sabine olive Olive cultivar

The Sabine is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in Corsica. In the Balagne region of Haute-Corse it is the main variety. The olive yields an exceptionally high amount of oil; more than 30%. Vulnerable to certain biological pests, it is relatively tolerant of cold. The Sabine olive variety should not be confused with the olive oil produced in the Sabina region of Italy.

The Cayon is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in the Var region of southern France. It is used primarily for the production of olive oil. The Cayon is highly valued for its role as a pollinator of other olive varieties.

The Mission olive is a cultivar of olive developed in California, by Spanish missions along El Camino Real in the late 18th century. The Mission olive has been included in the Ark of Taste, an international catalog of endangered heritage foods maintained by the Slow Food movement. It is also the only American olive cultivar listed by the International Olive Council in its World Catalogue of Olive Varieties. Although developed in the United States, Mission olives are also used by South African olive oil producers.

Verdale-de-l'Hérault is an olive cultivar developed in the department of Hérault, in the southern French region of Occitanie. The fruit produces a sweet oil with a light and fruity aroma of greenery, nuts, and apple, and exhibits no bitterness.

Ascolano (olive) Olive cultivar

Ascolano is a cold-hardy table variety olive cultivar from the Marche and Tuscany regions of Italy that is also grown in California for olive oil.

Manzanilla olive Type of olive

Manzanilla olives ("man-zah-nee-ya") or Manzanillo, also Manzanilla de Sevilla, originally from the area of Seville, Spain, are sometimes referred to as Spanish olives but along with Arbosana, Arbequina, Cacereña, Hojiblanca, Empeltre, and Gordal there are over two hundred varieties grown in Spain as well as other areas.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Picholine Olives". Practically Edible. Archived from the original on 2013-01-31. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  2. ↑ "Common Olive Varietals by Country". About Olive Oil. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Courboulex, Michel (2002). Les oliviers (in French). Paris: Éditions Rustica. pp. 37–8. ISBN   2-84038-635-6.
  4. 1 2 3 "Cultivar name: Picholine". OLEA Databases. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Picholine". Santa Cruz Olive Tree Nursery. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  6. 1 2 "Picholine" (PDF). International Olive Council . Retrieved 2009-01-18.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. 1 2 "Agronomical characters for cultivar Picholine". OLEA Databases. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  8. ↑ "Susceptibility to biotic stress for cultivar Picholine". OLEA Databases. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  9. ↑ Vollmann, Johann (and Rajcan, Istvan ) (2009). Oil Crops. UC Olive Center. p. 408. ISBN   9780387775944.
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