This delicious Picual from Camino de Anibal is incredibly delicious. Because this oil is picked to press in under four hours from harvest, the olives were milled at peak quality. The bottle even has chemistry on it! With a low free fatty acidity of 0.1% (Remember – the International Olive Oil Council’s (IOOC) standard for EVOO is 0.8%) this oil is great for use with heat. Feel free to sear steaks and roast tomatoes. This oil would be delicious with all of the above. Because the oil has a Peroxide Value of 5.1 (IOOC standard = 20) it will have a pretty good shelf life as well. This picual is far away from rancid and slowly oxidizes after harvest.
Picual is the most common varietal ground in Spain. Most picual groves are found in the city of Jaén, in Andalusia. Although Camino de Anibal Picual is harvested from their estate, located further north and closer to Valencia, in Hellín in the region of Albacete. At the foothills of the mountains, the region is perfect for growing olives. Albacete is slightly more temperate than the southern regions creating a less pungent olive as the trees are less stressed in the summer heat.
Love drizzling this lovely rich EVOO over fresh tomatoes and yogurt. The perfect afternoon snack! You can find even more recipes that use picual in Spain – Recipes for Olive Oil and Vinegar Lovers
