Olive Oil Black

Olive Oil Black by Greenomic Delikatessen, green and bold

Olive Oil Black by Greenomic Delikatessen is a Greek organic extra virgin olive oil made from Megaritiki olives, which are hand-picked while still unripe in November. This early harvest yields less oil, but one with a bold fruitiness and a distinct bitterness.

Olive Oil Black is the single-varietal organic oil from Greenomic Delikatessen, sourced from the mountain village of Dendro in the Corinth region, located at an altitude of around six hundred and fifty meters. The clear bottle with its wooden cap is encased in a black sleeve that protects the cold-pressed oil from light.

Freshly cut grass and a peppery tickle

You will recognize Black instantly on a piece of warm bread. It tastes of freshly cut grass and green tomato, becomes distinctly tart in the middle, and ends with the peppery tickle in the throat that young, harvested olives provide.

The color is a rich blend of green and gold, and the consistency remains medium-bodied and doesn't run. The three characteristics by which experts measure extra virgin olive oil are closely balanced here and can be tasted individually on bread: fruity, bitter, and piquant.

Over bean soup, tomato bread, and grilled fish

This oil belongs on the plate, not in a hot frying pan, because heat takes away exactly what the early harvest was intended to provide. A drizzle over warm bean soup, lentils, or polenta adds a green freshness that no one would have known was missing.

For grilled fish, seared lamb, and a salad of tomato, feta, and olives, Black takes center stage. For a robust vinaigrette, whisk it with Balsamico Classic by Greenomic Delikatessen, salt, and pepper, and the salad needs no other ingredients.

Drizzled over burrata, beetroot carpaccio, or freshly toasted bread with garlic, the oil becomes the star of the dish.

What the early harvest changes in the oil

Green-harvested olives contain significantly more polyphenols, and it is these bitter compounds that provide the tartness and piquancy. They also keep the oil fresh for longer, which is why a bold oil from an early harvest ages more slowly than a mild one from ripe fruit.

The Megaritiki is an ancient Greek variety with small fruits that are hand-picked because the trees grow on hillsides. Greenomic Delikatessen has them pressed as a single variety so that no other olive blurs the character.

Only hours pass between picking and pressing this oil, which is the second reason for its green profile. If the fruit waits too long, it begins to ferment, and a bold oil becomes a mild one without an edge. The high altitude near Dendro helps, as the cool autumn nights slow down ripening and spread out the harvest.

Cool, dark, and in the first year

Keep the bottle in a cupboard rather than next to the stove, as heat and light cost this oil more than any other ingredient on the shelf. The black sleeve helps, but a dark cupboard remains the better place.

Use the oil within the first year after the harvest, while the green notes are still vibrant. Other varieties from Greenomic Delikatessen can be found in our olive oil selection, and you can find everything else from the Mediterranean region in the olive oil category at nur Gutes.

Organic control number – GR-BIO-01 Greek Agriculture