Ocal Variety

“Our great discovery”

The Ocal olive trees we cultivate in the Sierra are as scarce as the bibliography and documentation we have about them. However, they have been clinging to these mountain slopes for centuries, surviving the rise of other crops and rural depopulation, until now only found in some northern Sierra towns.

The Ocal Olive Tree

The Ocal olive tree variety flourished several centuries ago in the Sierra de Salamanca. A rustic variety well-adapted to the mountain environment, it lost ground to the Manzanilla Cacereña variety, which is more suitable for table olive cultivation and more economically profitable. Today, very few plots still have Ocal trees, and in most cases, they are isolated trees found in corners or remote areas, likely preserved due to nostalgia.

The Ocal variety is better suited for oil production. It is large, very resistant to olive leaf spot (a fungus that affects the leaves), but highly sensitive to olive fruit fly (Dacus Oleae), and also sensitive to Colletotrichum ssp (soft rot), tuberculosis, and apex rot. It is very vigorous with rapid growth, presenting large drooping branches with wide leaves.

The Ocal Olive

Its fruit is generally large, elongated, and oval. It has a medium to late cycle with regular ripening.

Primarily used for oil, with a fat yield of up to 16%.

Synonyms: Cártama Olive, Castellana Gordal, Ecijano Gordal, Llorón de Castuera, Pudriaco.

Ocal Olive Oil

The juice from the Ocal variety, harvested green or at peak ripeness, offers intense and broad fruitiness with predominant notes of vegetables and fresh produce, such as fresh artichokes, walnuts, hay, legume pods, peas, and tomato. It has medium astringency, medium bitterness, and a persistent, spicy chili-like heat. The aftertaste recalls nuts, with green walnuts standing out.

The oleic acid content in this variety is medium to high, around 70%. It is also worth noting the high concentration of total polyphenols.