Olive oil
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The first Sicilian olive oil dates back to the 5th century B.C. when intrepid colonists from Greece planted the first olive trees.
Nowadays, Sicily accounts for about 10% of all Italian olive oil production. The most common Sicily’s olive varieties are Carolea, Nocellara and Biancolilla. These olive trees grow shorter in Sicily than in any other Italian region; this enables Sicilian olive oil producers to use a more careful hand-harvest technique, which is far less damaging to the plants than the most common mechanical harvesting. Sicilian olive oil tends to have a distinct and spicy flavor with a marked grassy aroma.
There are currently six certified olive growing areas in Sicily (knows as “DOP”s, or protected denomination of origin zones): Mount Etna (Ct); Val di Mazara (Tp); Valdemone (Me); Monti Iblei (Sr, Rg, Ct); Valli Trapanesi (Tp); Valle del Belice (Tp).
