DENOMINATION:
Picual variety, the name of this denominationis due to the point of the fruit.

GEOGRAFIC DISTRIBUTION AND IMPORTANCE:
Picual variety is the main variety in Andalucia?sextensivecultivated olive plantations (the estimation is that one in two olives from Andalucia is of this variety).

There is a great interest in the picual variety because of the quality of the oil from this denomination of olive tree.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PICUAL OLIVE T'EES LEAF:
The tree is very vigorous, with a wide and dense crown. The fruitful branches have a short internodes and their color is light grey.
The leaf is medium sized, short and narrow. The color of the surface is green and the underside is greyish green.

The fruit of Picual olive is black, medium in size, and has an asymmetric, elliptical shape when ripe. The apex is pointy and it usually does not have a nipple, or it is very small when there is one.
The relation between pulp and stone fruit is medium/high.

The olive stone has a long, elliptical and asymmetric shape. The rough surface has fibro-vascular furrows (between seven and ten) with auniform distribution. The base is pointed or rounded and the apex is pointed (and has noshoots/sprouts). The maximum transversal section is circular or elliptical, and is centered/in the middle.

HEALTH BENEFITS

The Picual extra virgin olive oil is considered an essential ingredient inMediterranean diets.

The antioxidants of virgin olive oil offer greater protection from LDL oxidation than refined olive oil.

Virgin olive oilhelpstoprevent arteriosclerosis and itsrisks, improvesthefunction of thestomach and pancreas, as well as intestinal and hepatobiliarfunctions. It has a protective and tonic effect on the epidermis, improves metabolic functions, stimulates growth, and helps to absorb calcium for bone mineralization. It is specially recommendedfor children and the elderly, due to a high level of vitamin E.

It is a virgin olive oil with great stability and a characteristic flavor, which is fruity, aromatic and with a light bitterness and pungency.