Olives have always grown in this region but the importance of the olive oil industry is only just beginning to re-emerge. During the long socialist period under Tito nothing much happened. There was no incentive to invest and no market outside the country. Even worse, many of the families of Italian origin in the north of the country returned to Italy leaving terraces of vines, olives and vegetables to revert to nature. Many of them have remained that way. During my visit I was taken to some groves near to the hill town of Buje in central Istria. Most of the terraced land was covered with wild shrubs and bushes. “This was once a garden”, my guide commented. “Now it is very difficult to reclaim”.

However, reclamation and re-development is under way. Since the early 1990s people have started to improve both the groves and the production facilities. The equipment at the Agro-Millo mill at Baradine, for example, has been up-graded three times since 1996 and now boasts the latest Italian Panorama gramolator and decanter as does the Bodulica mill on the island of Dugi Otek.

The traditional pattern of ownership was one family, one grove of around 100 trees and that is still the basis of the industry today but there are a growing number of family firms with 1,000 – 1,500 trees and a handful of larger firms and some investors with money to spend. The government is also encouraging growth with grants for new plantings and equipment.

Generally speaking the quality of the oil that I tasted on my travels was good or very good. However, I did not get further south than Zadar and Dugi Otek so my experience of oil made from local varieties was limited. However, those that I did taste were very interesting.

I was told that the local varieties tended to produce more aggressive oils that the oils from the Italian varieties but I suspect that this generalisation like so many regarding olive oil is not entirely accurate. Certainly the Leccino based oils tended to be relatively soft but certain oils I tasted which were pressed from Bianchera, Istrian White and the varieties on Krk were indeed fairly bitter and peppery but they also had some wonderfully complex aromas and flavours to balance them. Well worth searching out.

Istria:

In the northern part of the country the Istrian peninsula offers a diverse area for olive production. The coastline here is not as dramatic as that further south and the undulating hills offer a good drainage for groves and vineyards. It is here that the development of the olive oil industry is most evident. There are new groves dotted around and the first large scale planting at Dajla where there are 23,000 trees. There is even a way-marked Strada del Olio. Istria is on the boundary for olive growing and for this reason the oils, from all varieties, tends to have a very high oleic acid content.

The decision on which varieties to plant – Italian or local – is currently being investigated by the research stations at Porec and Split. Early re-planting was mostly with Italian varieties such as Leccino, Frantoio and Pendolino which were thought to produce oil which would be more attractive to buyers than that from the local varieties such as Bianchera, Carbonazza and Istrian White.

Most producers simply blend the varieties which they happen to have in their groves but others like Franco Basiaco and the owners of the mill at Torcio mill at Novigrad are starting to specialise in single varietal oils. This is an interesting development as it enables people to taste and appreciate oils made from the local varieties on their own and compare them with those from the newer Italian varieties.

From Rijeka to Zadar and Split:

Further south the countryside changes and the bare granite mountainsides come down almost directly into the sea leaving only a thin coastal strip of land which is not suitable for much in the way of cultivation. The islands are also extremely rocky or stony and the work that was put into planning the groves on islands like Krk and Dugi Otek must have been phenominal.

On these islands many of groves are surrounded by dry stone walls. Some even look as if they are growing in derelict houses. This is because the people had to do something with the stones as they cleared the land for the trees.

The varieties here are mostly local, though there are some Italian varieties but probably only about 10%. Some varieties are specific to a particular island such as Lastovcica on the island of Lastovo. Orcula is one of the main varieties and is found everywhere south of Rijeka. Others are Drobnica and Karbuncela. Some of the trees are very old, maybe as much as 200-300 years.

The development of the olive industry is important in the south because olives are one of the few crops which will grow on the land. It also provides work outside the tourist season and after the grape harvest.

Split to Dubrovnik:

The islands of Korcula and Brac are relatively large producers of olive oil but my 2006 travels stopped short of Split so watch this space for more information on Croatian olive oil!