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/ the the tas Olive oilfreshfrom Through ItsThrough Food Discovering aRegion ting panel the press. / february 2008 I Olive Oil:GreenGold deserves tobediscovered. etable preserves—abountythat wine, wheat,fruitsandveg- the Tavoliere producesoliveoil, originally asthegranaryofItaly, the DauniMountains.Known ated betweentheAdriaticand of theTavoliere plain,situ- iscenteredintheheart (the spuroftheheel).Thecity of whichisnortherlyFoggia vallo) and,ofcourse,wine. mozzarella dibufala,cacioca- cheeses (burrata,scamorza, coli rabe),pastas(orecchiette), (artichokes, eggplant,broc- such asolives,vegetables oil production,aswellfoodspecialties responsible formorethan50%ofItaly’s olive to boththeAdriaticandIonianSeas,Pugliais tively unknownregions—inallofItaly. most fertileanddenselypopulated—andrela- an opportunitytoexploreoneofthelargest, to Puglia,the“heel”ofItalianboot,was entitled to a DOP (Denominazione di Origine entitled toaDOP(Denominazione diOrigine products oftheTavolieri. Theregion’s oilsare virgin oliveoilisoneofthe most important trees—well overabillionat lastcount.Extra Mediterranean has98%oftheworld’s olive Puglia hassixprovinces,one With thelongest coastlineinItaly, thanks Olives grow best in mild zones, and the Olives growbestinmildzones,andthe breads, pastasandoils.Arecentjourney each knownforitslocalcheeses,wines, taly isanamazinglandofdiverseregions, Allison Levine goes onawell-heeled gastronomic missiontoPugliagastronomic Villa Torre Quarto inCerignola. grilled meatsorfi cooked—for strongly-flavored dishes,soups, and bruschetta,or—either cooked orun- ceous andfl notes. Distinctiveolivearomawithherba- and fruitywithwell-balancedbitterspicy mountain-protected regionissweet,strong DOP DaunoAltoTavoliere theses PugliaDOPs: es andarerelativelytasteless.)Try oilsfrom need toberenderedusingindustrialprocess- virgin oliveoil3%.(Oilswithhigheracidity virgin oliveoilispermitted2%andordinary permitted amaximumacidityof1%,whereas Low acidisdesirable.Extravirginoliveoil water andoilbypressureorcentrifugation. and separatingthedrypomacefrom olives ingrindingstonesorsteelpresses, Protetta), astatusequivalenttoDOCforwines. Virgin olive oilisobtainedbycrushingthe oral tones.Idealforoildip, salad sh. Oilfromthis 1/25/08 2:08:36 PM DOP Dauno Gargano This region consists of rocky terraces and salty winds from the Adri- atic coast. The green to light yellow oil has a delicate fruity fragrance, a sweet fl avor and a characteristic almond aftertaste. Ideal for fi sh, shellfi sh and cooked or raw vegetables.

DOP Dauno Basso Tavoliere The strong winds that warm and dry the soil result in oil that’s herbaceous, fruity and sweet, with hints of bitterness and spiciness and a signature aftertaste of artichoke. Thick and fi rm, this oil is ideal for pasta, strongly-fl avored soups, le- gumes, cooked vegetables and roasted meats.

DOP Dauno Sub-Appennino The olive trees in this DOP are protected by surrounding woods. The green to yellow oil is sweet, fruity and clean with a nose of ripe tomatoes and olives. The light-fl avored oil is ideal for pasta, vegetables and pastries, as well as for frying.

Olives: Fruit of the Land Another specialty of Foggia is olives from the Bella di DOP. The largest table olive, the Bella di Cerignola is drupe-shaped (like a plum) and can be either green or black. The calcareous and clay soils of the fl at plain receive heavy sun, enabling the olive to grow to its famous large size. Hand-harvested after October 15, the olives are treated with Bianco, Nero di Troia, as well as international Newly harvested alkali to remove bitterness, then immediately standards such as Merlot and Chardonnay. olives head into the washed with water and stored in fl asks, glass The modern, state-of-the-art cellar is built on destemmer. vases or terracotta jars, with a little salt. an ancient farmhouse. Imported by Tamalpais Wine Agency (415-456-0425). Wine: Essence of the Vine Torre Quarto, located in Cerignola, was Puglia is one of the originally built in 1847 by the French dukes of largest producers of Rochefoucauld and taken over in the 1930s by Italian wine, with 25 the Cirillo Farrusi family, the fi rst producers DOCs and six IGT of Puglia wines sold outside Italy. Imported by zones. DOCs of the Montecastelli Selections (212-414-4989). Foggia province in- clude Rosso di Ceri- gnola, Cacc’e Mmitte di , Interested in purchasing Italian food products from Puglia and and . Try other for your restaurant? Check out these these producers: specialty importers: Alberto Longo is Don Marcello Rosso located in Lucera. Guidi Marcello www.guidimarcello.com 2005 by Torre Quarto. With great love for Italian Harvest www.italianharvest.com his land and wine, Italfoods www.italfoodsinc.com Alberto planted 35 hectares to indigenous Olio&Olive www.olioandolive.com varietals such as , Bombino

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