In short. Apulian olive oil is not one thing. The region divides into eleven production sub-areas, each with its own dominant cultivar, its own flavour and its own best use — from the sweet Peranzana of the north to the green, herbaceous Cellina of the deep Salento.
If you have ever wondered why two Apulian oils taste nothing alike, this is the answer. The cultivar changes roughly every fifty kilometres, and with it everything else.
The north: Foggia and the Tavoliere
1. Dauno Gargano — Ogliarola Garganica
Medium fruity, with a herbaceous note and an almond aftertaste, as defined by the official Dauno PDO specification.
Use: vegetables, pulses, soups and starters.
2. Dauno sub-Appennino and lower Tavoliere — Coratina
Clean olive fruit with a scent of artichoke and a good aromatic flavour; sweet with a slightly bitter finish.
Use: bruschetta, pinzimonio, salads, meat and boiled vegetables.
3. Dauno alto Tavoliere — Peranzana
Clean olive fruit, sweet and harmonious, with a good floral scent.
Use: fish and seafood starters, delicate sauces, tomato sauces.
The centre: Bari and the Murgia
4. Castel del Monte — Coratina
Clean and intense olive fruit, with artichoke and almond, slightly peppery and bitter, with a very good floral scent.
Use: bruschetta, pinzimonio, salads, meat and boiled vegetables.
5. Bitonto — Cima di Bitonto or Ogliarola di Bitonto
Clear olive fruit with a scent of almond and a sweet taste, harmonious and well balanced.
Use: excellent on grilled food and roasts.
6. Murgia dei Trulli e delle Grotte — Cima di Mola
Clean olive fruit with scents of herbs and pulses; very sweet, with good fluidity.
Use: raw on fish, risotto, pasta, roasts and fried food.
The south: Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto
7. Colline di Brindisi — Ogliarola barese 70%, with Leccino, Coratina and Frantoio
Oily fruit with herbs and pulses; very sweet, with good fluidity.
Use: raw on fish and carpaccio, risotto, roasts, fried food.
8, 9 and 10. Terra d’Otranto — Cellina di Nardò (also called Saracena) and Ogliarola salentina
Green olive fruit with a sweet taste, a scent of pulses and very good fluidity, with an aromatic herbal fragrance. Three sub-areas: southern Brindisi, Lecce and the deep Salento, and eastern Taranto.
Use: raw on starters and vegetables, pulses and soups.
What to take from this. If you want oil for raw dressing — over vegetables, pulses, fish — look south, to the Salento and its Cellina. If you want an oil with bite, for bruschetta and grilled meat, look north to the Coratina of Castel del Monte and the Tavoliere.
The basics of grading and acidity are on the Apulian extra virgin olive oil page, with more in the questions and answers.
