Olive trees and olive oil where brought to Sicily by the Greeks and the Phoenicians in the centuries before the Common Era. Today, the island region is one of Italy’s most prolific producers of this liquid gold that has many health benefits and uses–from cooking to soap to moisturizer. Feudotto, imported in the US by Gelsomino Imports, LLC, is an artisinal producer of olive oil based in Menfi, Agrigento and Castelvetrano, Trapani. They create three varietals of extra virgin olive oil–each with a distinct taste one more earthy and spicy, with tomato and artichoke overtones, while the others are fruity, citrus-y, almond-y, and peppery… Just like wine, olive oil takes on the flavors of the air and earth around the trees. Feudotto harvests the olives by hand (no machines here!) at the beginning of veraison, or when the olives begin to change color before they ripen too much. My favorite was the “Nocellara,” the one on the left.
