I want to know about...

10.11.2022

EN

Official Journal of the European Union
C 428/53

It is the combination of the average rainfall and mild temperatures with the depth and fertility of the regions soils
which are sandy loam, have a pH that is around neutral, are permeable and are at least a metre deep that helps the fruit to ripen and gives it the weight and colour characteristics and slightly winey aroma that it acquires in the Beira Baixa region. These are the characteristics that distinguish it from other olives and make it so ideal for the olive industry, so typical of Beira Baixa and so deeply rooted in the regions socio-economic profile.
Ambient temperature is one of the keys to correct fermentation when preparing preserved olives. The average temperatures in the region at the beginning of the season are around 22 oC. These natural conditions speed up the process, and brine with the ideal chemical characteristics described below can be obtained quite early on.
Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa is cured naturally, as the traditional fermentation method that has been passed down from one generation of local producers to the next and is still used today enhances the weight and colour characteristics, salt content and slightly winey aroma that distinguish Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa from other olives and ensures that the product obtained is free from the serious sensory defects that could result from abnormal fermentation.
The traditional fermentation method used for Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa involves adding water and salt over a fermentation period of between 3 and 6 months, the salt concentration varying between 5 % and 10 %.
Olive growing is closely linked to the region of Beira Baixa, as evidenced by various historical records, which show that, as far back as the early 16th century, it was well established, and there were already extensive olive groves in the Castelo Branco area. Already of note was the consumption of cured olives, which in the south-eastern part of the Beira region were always part of the food rations paid in kind to rural labourers, as recorded by Orlando Ribeiro 1945 in his book Portugal, o Mediterrneo e o Atlntico Estudo Geográfico Portugal, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic a geographical study.
The author goes on to say that with the spread of agriculture, olive trees were planted throughout the country and adapted to all types of soil and climate, although they clearly prefer chalky soil and warm regions sheltered from sea winds. One of the areas where they are most common is the southern part of Beira Baixa. The slopes of Beira Baixas quartzite ridges were cleared only a few years ago, and up until then were covered in scrub. The olive trees adapted well to the steep, scree-covered slopes and loose, stony soil. One of the most typical cultivation practices in Beira Baixa is the harvesting of the olives by hand or by using poles to shake them down from the branches, a timeconsuming and methodical process painstakingly performed in the main olive-growing areas.
Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa, prepared and preserved using methods that have been passed down from one generation to the next and are still used today, is considered a traditional product in the region and has long been an important part of the local diet and the local economy.
Reference to publication of the specification https tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt/images/prod_imagens/azeites/docs/CE_azeitona_galega_0722.pdf