Food: The Gaeta Olive (Characteristics and History)

WHAT THE GAETA OLIVE IS LIKE:
– Colour: it is NOT black, as people commonly believe, but purplish or pinkish.
– Shape: slightly tapered (the original local cultivar) or rounder (the Itrana cultivar).
– Taste: winey, slightly bitter, with vinegary notes.
– Growing area: Gaeta and neighbouring towns in the Aurunci mountains (Itrana).

HISTORY AND TRADE:
– Ancient origins: already described by Virgil in the Aeneid. The first official document is the will of Duke Docibilis II (year 954).
– Medieval expansion: by the 1400s the Gaeta merchant fleet was exporting it across the Mediterranean, to Northern Europe, Turkey and Egypt.
– A logistical curiosity: unlike the Romans, who used amphorae, the people of Gaeta shipped their oil in barrels lined with clay.

TRADITIONAL PREPARATIONS:
1. Olives in brine:
– The most common. Washed and left in salted water (65 g per kg) for 3-4 months.
– Note: the thin film that may form on the surface is there to preserve them.
2. Dried olives:
– Fresh olives covered in salt, sprinkled with water and left to dry in a ventilated place for 7-10 days.
– They are eaten dressed with oil and chilli.
3. Cracked olives (another local variant).

STATUS:
– Widely imitated. An application for protected geographical status (PDO/PGI) is under way.