Picual

Picual olive oil

It is the most abundant variety in Spain and the world. There are currently approximately 900,000 hectares of production area in our country, mainly in Jaén, Córdoba and Granada, although its growth has spread to other production areas such as Castilla-La Mancha. Its name refers to the fruit’s pointed tip shape.

Its oil is prized for its high stability (resistance to oxidation) which gives it great resistance to high temperatures, and it is ideal for preserving raw or cooked foods.

With regard to sensory characteristics, these oils have great personalities, full bodies, fruity green olive scores, and a light peppery and bitter olive leaf taste can be appreciated in them.

The most accused feature of Picual Olive Oils compared to other varieties is its bitterness, and if the oil is green, its pungency or itching. It is also characteristic, in cases of early harvested Olive Oils, its herbaceous aromas, such as olive and grass leafs, fig, tomato.

Another important feature in picual olive oil is its high content in oleic acid (monounsaturated) that can exceed the 80% of its lipid profile. This coupled with its low content of polyunsaturated acids makes picual olive oil one of the most stable in oxidation and rancidity. That is why Picual olive oil is the most suitable to be used in the kitchen to cook at high temperatures, since it maintains its properties in several cycles of fried foods.

On the other hand, picual olive oils, with their high polyphenol levels, help to reduce the oxidation of fats in the bloodstream. In conclusion, Picual is one of most healthy olive oil varieties.

Uses of Picual Olive Oils

• For frying, breaded and any other use of olive oil at a high temperature
• For long stews
• As a preservative of sausages, meats, cheeses, and canned in general (for its high stability)
• For dressing salads, tomatoes, etc.. Picual can improve vegetables which are bland or tasteless
• For breakfast in toast bread with tomato

However, we do not recommend its use, or at least, do it wisely, for soft flavor dishes, fish, mayonnaises, desserts. We believe that there are other varieties that can give a better result.