The cultivars that mainly contribute to the production of our oil are Nocellara del Belìce, which is present in the traditional groves for at least 70%.

The other varieties are Giarraffa, Biancolilla, Cerasuola, Buscionetto, and Ogliarola.

Nocellara, Biancolilla and Cerasuola are the cultivars to which we have dedicated most care and attention, they fully represent our territoriality, their union generates a combination of delicacy and genuineness.

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Nocellara del Belice

The cultivation of this variety has very ancient origins and seems to date back to a Greek colony in Selinunte in the seventh century B.C. In fact, it was the Greeks who introduced olive cultivation in Sicily through this thousand-year-old variety. An activity that, with the passage of time, has not ceased to be productive, and indeed found its heyday from the second half of the 17th century, becoming the primary source of income for the entire Trapani area.

Characteristics of Nocellara del Belice

This olive is characterized by its firm flesh, which easily detaches from the inner stone, and its rounded shape. This cultivar is excellent both for the production of a very high quality extra virgin olive oil and for table consumption. For consumption in the kitchen, this oil is perfect for use both raw and cooked due to the fact that its smoke point is higher than oils obtained from other cultivars. For table consumption they are processed both green and black, preserved in brine and used to season some typical dishes, such as caponata, or to enrich main courses. The largest cultivation of this prized cultivar is still found in the area of the same name, between Castelvetrano, Campobello di Mazara, Santa Ninfa and Partanna in the province of Trapani. The oil from Sicily produced with Nocellara del Belice has a very low acidity, with a color ranging from yellow to deep green, a mixed aroma of olive with almond, dried tomato, artichoke and cut grass. The flavor is slightly spicy, bitter but with a hint of sweetness. At Donna Giacoma we make both a blend based on Nocellara del Belice and Biacolilla and a splendid Monovarietale, olives that come exclusively from the province of Trapani. For more information about our oil please fill in the following contact form, we will contact you as soon as possible.
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Cerasuola

These beautiful trees prove their strength every year. In fact, they are able to withstand even the absolute hottest summers, even the periods of drought that are more than frequent in Sicily. Not even the most critical winter conditions can obviously affect them, resistant to wind, rain, hail and the absolute coldest temperatures of the year. They are trees that can also grow anywhere, even on poor soils that at first glance could never offer this plant the sustenance it needs to bear its enchanting fruit. Cerasuola olives are large in size and have a rather important weight. In fact, each single olive can weigh up to more than 7 grams. The olives are elliptical in shape, with a round apex and base and a green color that gradually turns purple or even blackish. Lenticels are also often present, of medium to large size. a Cerasuola, used exclusively for the production of a yellow or green extra virgin olive oil, with different characteristics depending on the ripening period of the olives used, whether they are more or less ripe. If the olives were harvested before they were fully ripe, it has a medium-high fruity flavor with hints of artichoke and fresh grass. It is spicy and bitter. It enhances all vegetables with its green notes, making it perfect for salad dressings and generally for all raw condiments. Due to its intensity, however, it is suitable for meat, especially when barbecued. On the other hand, if the olives have been harvested when fully ripe, the extra virgin oil has an intense fruity flavor with hints even of tomato and thyme. It is a sweeter and more delicate oil on the palate. This is an oil suitable for cooking, precisely because it has a sweeter and more delicate flavor. It is especially suitable for use in the preparation of sauces, such as meat ragout for example. Would you like to try both of these versions to understand the nuances of flavor? Then we can only advise you to prepare simple bread bruschetta’s and taste them seasoned with these two varieties.
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Biancolilla

The Biancolilla cultivar is considered to be one of the oldest varieties among those currently existing in Italian olive groves. Counted among the indigenous Sicilian cultivars (in fact, it is believed to originate from the Caltabellotta area in the Agrigento area), Biancolilla is highly prized for its high productivity and early entry into production.

Biancolilla plants are notable for their majesty. They are moderately vigorous plants with a pendulous habit and whose foliage tends to widen in both height and width. This is accompanied by a remarkable robustness of the branches. The drupe of this cultivar reaches a maximum weight of four grams and is elliptical in shape, slightly asymmetrical, with a pointed apex and rounded base. The surface of the fruit has rare, large lenticels. The oil produced from this variety is strongly influenced by the yield of the crop. The latter, in fact, at peak production, yielded 18% oil, far below the most common olive varieties. However, the organoleptic qualities of this regional product must be emphasized. It has a very light coloring, initially green and fading to golden yellow with subsequent processing. It is a structured oil, with a traditional taste of almond and tomato, but also with influences derived from artichoke. Of course, the variation in taste and aroma comes from the type of pollinator used during cultivation, which transfers its genetic characteristics to the olive tree. After all, almond, tomato and artichoke are nothing but typical Sicilian flavors that cannot fail to influence the production of this oil. Finally, one can see how this strongly aromatic oil retains a slightly spicy aftertaste that gives it a very special flavor.