The finest olive oils from South Africa
Have you ever tasted a good South African olive oil? Try it once! Because a really good olive oil is fragrant! Your nose will detect a hint of green olive leaves, herbs and citrus fruits and notes of sun-ripened tomatoes, bananas and artichokes will caress your senses. The scent of a good olive oil will touch your soul and its valuable vitamins, healthy fats and antioxidants will do your body good.
Recipe for olive bread
Ingredients (for 4 people):
- 1 kilogram flour
- 30 g yeast
- 150 g black olives
- Salt & black pepper from the mill
- 100 ml olive oil
- Oil for the baking tray
Preparation:
Make a dough from all the ingredients, add the pitted and finely chopped olives and the finely chopped onion.
Then work 50 ml of the olive oil and the pepper into the dough. Divide the finished dough into two pieces, shape into flat loaves and place on a greased baking tray. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 225 degrees for 25 minutes. Then brush the loaves with oil and bake for a further 10 minutes. Enjoy your meal!
Morgenster Lemon Enhanced Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500 ml
€15.95*
No longer available
The lightest dessert in the world:
Vanilla ice cream with lemon-olive oil
Sometimes it's the simplest things that bring the greatest pleasure. This dessert is a prime example of this - surprising, elegant and prepared in seconds.
Here's how:Mould a generous scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream and place it in a bowl or on a dessert plate. Finish the ice cream with a dash of the finest lemon olive oil, which gives the dessert a fresh, Mediterranean lightness with its delicate citrus flavour.
The secret: the combination of sweet, vanilla ice cream and the fruity, tangy olive oil creates an extraordinary flavour experience. The velvety texture of the oil meets the coolness of the ice cream and blends into a harmonious flavour that surprises and delights.
Tip: You can add a touch of sea salt or some fresh lemon zest to give this dessert an additional, sophisticated flavour. A dessert that is simple to prepare and yet sophisticated enough to make an impression - ideal for hot summer days or as an unexpected finale to a special menu. Try it out and be surprised!
Further interesting topics, news & recommendations on South African wines can also be found here:
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Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500 ml
- Thelema Mountain Vineyards
- South Africa
Content: 0.75 Liter (€13.27* / 1 Liter)
Don Carlo Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500 ml
- Morgenster Estate
- South Africa
Content: 0.5 Liter (€33.90* / 1 Liter)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500 ml
- DeMorgenzon
- South Africa
Content: 0.5 Liter (€25.90* / 1 Liter)
Olive Oil Blend 500 ml
- Babylonstoren
- South Africa
Content: 0.5 Liter (€23.90* / 1 Liter)
Olive Oil Coratina 500 ml
- Babylonstoren
- South Africa
Content: 0.5 Liter (€23.90* / 1 Liter)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500 ml
- Morgenster Estate
- South Africa
Content: 0.5 Liter (€31.90* / 1 Liter)
Glenelly Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500 ml
- Glenelly Estate
- South Africa
Content: 0.5 Liter (€29.80* / 1 Liter)
Don Carlo Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500 ml
- Morgenster Estate
- South Africa
Content: 0.5 Liter (€35.90* / 1 Liter)
Olive oils that your heart desires
There are many good reasons why olive oil is one of the oldest and most valuable foods known to mankind and why gnarled olive trees grow almost everywhere in the world today. In the most important and classic wine-growing regions of the world, there has always been a natural and traditional connection between the olive grove and the vineyard. Where there are vineyards, olive trees are not far away. The finest olive oil is produced exactly where good wine comes from. Wine and olive oil are not only partners under the South African sun, they are also an integral part of the savoury cuisine. In our range, you will not only find the best wines from South Africa, but also the finest oils from the Western Cape that will delight the palate and the heart.
Olive trees were already growing 54,000 years ago
The history of the olive tree began long before our era. The oldest known olive tree in the world is estimated to be around 4,000 years old and is located in Vouves on Crete. The cradle of olive trees is also said to have been in the Mediterranean region. The first specimens are said to have settled there around 54,000 years ago. Scientists have found ancient fossilised olive leaf impressions on the Greek island of Santorini that prove this. Olive trees existed long before humans settled on the Mediterranean around 40,000 years ago.
Olive oil has been a treasure for thousands of years
It took thousands of years - an astonishing 8,000 years to be precise - from the first human settlement until the first olive oil was produced. And another two millennia were to pass before people began to cultivate olive trees. And even longer before the olive tree got its name. Naturalist Carl von Linné, who discovered it in 1753, called it "Olea europaea". All olive trees that exist today are descended from this original olive tree. In the meantime, more than 1000 sub-varieties have been bred. What they all have in common is that it takes seven years before the olive grower can harvest olives from a newly planted tree. With the old cultivars, really good yields are only achieved with twenty-year-old trees. Olive oil is therefore a treasure!
Olive trees no longer only grow in the Mediterranean
Olive trees no longer only grow in the warm regions of Europe and the Mediterranean. They are cultivated all over the world. In the frosty regions of America and Australia as well as in Japan, South Africa and Hawaii. Wherever they grow, the average annual temperature must be between 15 and 20 degrees and there must be sufficient rainfall - that's all the frugal olive trees need to produce a good harvest.
Jan van Riebeeck brought the first olive trees to the Cape
But how did the first olive trees come to the Cape? The Dutchman Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of South African viticulture, also brought the first olive trees to South Africa. In a diary entry dated 18 July 1661, he reports on grapevines, lemon trees and two olive trees that were thriving on his land. However, although they grew well, olives did not initially attract much attention in South Africa.
Optimal conditions in South Africa for "this outstanding fruit"
It took more than two hundred years before the potential of this small fruit was recognised in South Africa. Olive-growing pioneer Piet Cillié from the Rhebokskloof farm reported in the South African Agricultural Journal in 1893 after returning from a trip to California: "The cultivation of olives is well advanced there. As can be well recognised, olive trees will adapt well and thrive on most soils under the conditions here. I am fully convinced that the thousands of hectares at the foot of our mountains are suitable for this excellent fruit".
Olive oils from fine to intensely fruity with a sharp finish
Today, as in the past, South Africa's olive plantations are mainly located in the Western Cape, where the climate is temperate Mediterranean and therefore ideal for South African olive cultivation. The classic Italian olive varieties Coratina, Frantoio, Leccino, Barnea, Koroneika, Favoloza, Mission, Kalamata, Noccelara del Belice and Manzanilla grow here. The olive harvest in South Africa normally lasts from March to July. The long harvest period is due to the different ripening times of the black fruit.
Distinctive olive oil from Walker Bay
The geographical diversity of South Africa and the Cape region results in a wide range of olive oil flavours. They range from delicate to intensely fruity, depending on the time of harvest and the region. All South African olive oils are characterised by a slightly spicy finish. The olive oil from South Africa's Walker Bay, for example, delights with a subtle spiciness, green fruitiness and flavour nuances of freshly mown grass as well as a hint of fresh artichokes and sun-ripened tomatoes. The terroir is known for its distinctive olive oil made from the Italian olive varieties Frantoio, Leccino and Coratina. The olives get their special character from the temperate climate, the above-average rainfall and the cool sea breezes in the coastal growing area.
Excellent oils from South Africa's Bot River region
Outstanding olive oil also comes from South Africa's Bot River region."Gabrielskloof Extra Virgin Olive Oil" is honoured almost every year at the South African"SA OLIVE Awards". The outstanding olive oil has twice made it into the top five olive oils in South Africa. The highly prized olive oil is blended from the Italian olive varieties Leccino, Coratina and Frantoio and is well-balanced and intense. The Thelema region is also known for its first-class, award-winning olive oils. Olives also thrive in South Africa's hotter regions, as in Paarl, where the first olive oil in South Africa was produced. It was produced by a certain Mr Minaar, who even received an award for it in 1907. It was honoured as "The best olive oil in the British Empire".
How a perfect South African olive oil is made
Many small details come together to create the perfect olive oil. It is important to know that every single olive influences the flavour of the oil. This is why the olive grower places great importance on the care of the trees, which are pruned according to a specific principle, right from the cultivation of the olives. Manual labour is the basis for the best quality in the production process. After picking, the olives are sorted by hand and then processed directly into pulp. An old traditional method is to press the pulp with mats in order to maintain the level of the oil and its specific character. The method of pressing determines the quality of the olive oil, which is categorised into three classes.
South African olive oil: a treat for your health
Whether extra virgin or virgin - South African olive oil scores highly with its health-promoting ingredients: Antioxidants, such as the anti-inflammatory oleocanthal and oleoropein, as well as an omega-9 fatty acid, which is said to help lower LDL cholesterol levels.
South Africa's olive growers produce in harmony with nature
South African olive growers have set themselves the goal of producing the best possible olive oil in harmony with nature. Organic cultivation and sustainable production are extremely important to them. That is why no poisons are used and no additional fertilisers are applied.
The quality classes of South African olive oils
Drip oil is olive oil that flows out of the fruit before the olives are actually pressed. It is very fruity and mild and very expensive due to its rarity. Extravirginolive oil is produced during the first gentle pressing. It may contain a maximum of one per cent fatty acid. As a rule of thumb, the lower the fatty acid content, the better the olive oil. Other designations for this quality grade are extra virgin, extra virgin and extra virgin. Virgin olive oil is the designation for olive oil from the second pressing. It may contain a maximum of 2 per cent fatty acids. Virgin, i.e. natural, olive oil has a long shelf life and can be heated to high temperatures without smoking.
Seal guarantees the best quality of South African olive oil
South Africa's olive oil producers founded the voluntary association SA Olive (SAO) to guarantee and ensure the high quality of South African olive oil. Around 100 members of SA Olive have defined international quality standards for the production of South African olive oil. Within the "Commitment To Compliance (CTC)" programme, they award a CTC seal of quality. The seal can only be found on bottles of olive oil that originate one hundred per cent from South Africa. The label on the olive oil bottle shows that the producer complies with the standards set by SA Olive. The seal also shows the year of harvest and thus symbolises the freshness of the olive oil. The connoisseur can therefore be sure that they are holding a high-quality South African product in their hands.