Documents dating back to the late Sixteenth century mention “the excellent Garda olives, exquisite olives preserved in brine, be they green or ripe and black.
At the time, there were six variety of olive trees:
1- compostara, nostrana or zentil, yielding very tasty olives
2- grosso
3- bombolotto, yielding an almost round olive, but with a disproportionate pit to pulp ratio
4- lungo
5- de Spagna, yielding large olives
6- piccolo compostino, the most popular variety in the region.
Already back in 1586, Adriano Valeriani in his book “Le bellezze di Verona” (The beauties of Verona) lamented the fact that if the demand for table olives weren’t so great from Venice or Lombardy, Verona wouldn’t need so much foreign oil. As it always happens, the best fruit were destined for other uses, and exported.
Another interesting fact: the Touring Club guide to Italy published in the Nineteen Thirties mentions the “renowned table olives” from the shores of Lake Garda. A product that in our opinion is still extremely important, and for which we seek perfection.
