Albania’s Liquid Gold Olive Oil Treasure

by Experience AlbaniaFeb 11, 2018Experience Albania, Food & Wine, Gruppresa: Mat & Vin, START, Uncategorized

Few countries in Europe have favourable climate and geographic conditions for growing olives, but Albania is one of them. If you’ve travelled through Albania, you know that this is true. There are olive trees practically everywhere. The silvery green foliage creates waves of pointillist patterns across hilly landscapes. There is an old tradition of cultivating olives in Albania, passed on from generations. The rich knowledge and appreciation of the land and its fruit seems to be inscribed in the country’s DNA.

In rural areas of Albania, people harvest the olives from their trees, drive to the olive oil factory, and wait in line for their turn to make the year’s supply of olive oil.

It’s a mild October day, the factory is hot and humid. Opposite a wall of sacks filled with olives, men and women wait patiently with their harvest. Inside, you can survey every step of the process and decide if you want extra extra extra virgin olive oil.

Flamur knows the process of how to make olive oil like the back of his hand. He can describe every step of the process and important variables to produce the best oil and flavour. Still warm from the press, the liquid gold tastes heavenly. We always savour the olive oil with bread and cheese right there in the factory. This experience is hard to beat!

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Trips like these really take you to the heart of the country. No frills, bells or whistles. Beautiful people, love and appreciation for the riches of the land. Read more about our food and wine experiences.