Manzanilla olives ("man-zah-nee-ya") or Manzanillo, also Manzanilla de Sevilla (in Spain), originally from the area of

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, are sometimes referred to as Spanish olives but along with

Arbosana The Arbosana is an List of olive cultivars, olive cultivar from Spain. Typically used for olive oil production, Arbosana thrives in super-high density growing systems. In 2009, a study by UC Davis found that 16% of super-high density olive groves ...

Arbequina Arbequina is a cultivar of olives. The fruit is highly aromatic, small, symmetrical and dark brown, with a rounded apex and a broad peduncular cavity. In Europe, it is mostly grown in Catalonia, Spain, but it is also grown in Aragon and Andalusi ...

, Cacereña, Hojiblanca,

Empeltre Empeltre is a type of medium-sized, black olive originating in Spain. It is used both as a table olive and to produce a high-quality olive oil. ''Empeltre'' olives are primarily grown in the Spanish regions of Aragon and the Balearic Islands. ...

, and Gordal there are over two hundred varieties grown in Spain as well as other areas. Manzanillo's olives are dual-purpose, used for table olives and olive oil. Manzanillo olive cultivars are grown in many geographic areas around the world. Canned Manzanillo olives are either green in colour (like those in the above picture) or the popular black coloured variety that is manufactured using the "California black-ripe" curing method.

Synonyms

There are over two hundred olive varieties grown in Spain. Synonyms include Early Manzanillo, Romerillo, Redondil, Manzanillo Fino, Chorrúo de Espiga, Manzanilla olive, Manzanilla Rabuda, Common chamomile, Chamomile Basta, Chamomile of Carmona, Long, olive White Chamomile, Camomile of Two Sisters, and Varetuda.

Closely related varieties

"Manzanilla Cacereña" along with "Manzanilla de Sevilla" (a vecera variety) are found in high-density orchards. Askal is a hybrid of Barnea and Manzanillo. Arno, Tevere, and Basento are hybrids of

Picholine The Picholine is a French cultivar of olives. It is the most widely available cultivar in France. Though originally from Gard in southern France, it is today grown all over the world. The Picholine is best known as a cocktail olive, though it is ...

and Manzanillo. Manzanillo Cacereño i-69 is a potential for superintensive olive trees in hedges.

Characteristics

Manzanilla olives are dual-purpose medium to large

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

or stone fruit of the ''

Olea europea The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' 'M ...

'' tree, used as table olives and for olive oil production. Table olives can be whole with the pit in, pitted and stuffed with pimentos, garlic, peppers, or almonds, or sliced.

Curing

Curing is a process to remove bitter phenolic compounds that include oleuropein and ligstroside found in the flesh and skin.

Black olives

Manzanillas have been a popular variety in California since the 1960s. The "California black-ripe" curing method, developed circa 1905–1910, has led to the Manzanilla variety mainly being used for canned black olives. These are labeled as "ripe" green olives that have been cured. The process involves lye-curing in an oxygenated solution, that takes approximately 24 hours instead of six to eight weeks, and treatment with

ferrous gluconate Iron(II) gluconate, or ferrous gluconate, is a black compound often used as an iron supplement. It is the iron(II) salt of gluconic acid. It is marketed under brand names such as ''Fergon'', ''Ferralet'' and ''Simron''. Uses Medical Ferrous glu ...

that fixes the black color. The olives are then placed in cans in mild brine, then pressured and heat processed.

Other areas of cultivation

The Mediterranean area soil and phenological events has proven to be ideal for Manzanilla, but other areas also cultivate the variety. The winter chilling must be enough to allow flowering after dormancy, known as

vernalization Vernalization (from Latin ''vernus'', "of the spring") is the induction of a plant's flowering process by exposure to the prolonged cold of winter, or by an artificial equivalent. After vernalization, plants have acquired the ability to flower, ...

. Warmer weather allows "bud burst" and flowers that set fruit. The chilling weather should not go below or the plant may be damaged.

New olive cultivars

With advancement of health benefits of the Mediterranean diet there has been a sharp rise in the consumption and use of olives and olive oil. The traditional cultivation systems have a steady but lower yield than is commercially viable, so newer alternative cultivars are sought that can be adapted to different geographical areas and mechanized harvesting. With more than two thousand recorded cultivars, clones or sub-clones, the use of various forms of

grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...

, free, cross- and

self-pollination Self-pollination is a form of pollination in which pollen from the same plant arrives at the Stigma (botany), stigma of a flower (in flowering plants) or at the ovule (in gymnosperms). There are two types of self-pollination: in autogamy, pollen i ...

of trees creating hybrids, research is continually ongoing to find genetically dominant cultivars.

Backcrossing Backcrossing is a crossing of a hybrid with one of its parents or an individual genetically similar to its parent, to achieve offspring with a genetic identity closer to that of the parent. It is used in horticulture, animal breeding, and product ...

or recurrent hybridization is also used.

Australia

With over eleven million trees in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

covering the Manzanilla has shown to adapt to the climate.

Florida

Manzanilla trees are pest and disease resistant, self-pollinating, and cold hardy to at least 12 degrees. The

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

North Florida Research and Education Center planted five different types of olive cultivars to research if olives could be established in Florida. The climate does not get cold enough for the trees to become dormant, but growers have put liquid into the ground as a means to create dormancy.

Louisiana

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

Ag Center has been performing field evaluations on fifteen varieties near

Hammond Hammond may refer to: People * Hammond Innes (1913–1998), English novelist * Hammond (surname) * Justice Hammond (disambiguation) Places Antarctica * Hammond Glacier, Antarctica Australia *Hammond, South Australia, a small settlement in South ...

and the Manzanilla has shown as one variety that could be cultivated south of the I-10/I-12 corridor for small crops or as ornamental trees.

South America

Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay produce olives and olive oil.

Texas

Olive trees are considered an exotic crop in Texas. The

Frantoio Frantoio and Leccino cultivars are the principal raw material for Italian olive oils from Tuscany. Frantoio is fruity, with a stronger aftertaste than Leccino. About the tree The Frantoio tree grows well in milder climates, but is not as toler ...

, Manzanilla, Mission, Pendolino, and

Picual The Picual, also known as Marteña or Lopereña, is an olive cultivar from Spain. Picual olives are the most commonly grown olive today for olive oil production, with production centered in the Spanish province of Jaén. Picual trees are estim ...

are grown but the Pendolino is a poor performer and planted to pollinate the Manzanilla. A severe freeze can kill olive trees, so the best area is north of Laredo and southwest of San Antonio, in the region known as the Winter Garden.''Best Olives to Grow in Texas''
Retrieved 2019-02-09

References

{{Reflist Olive cultivars Fruit Lamiales Agriculture in Australia Agriculture in Florida Agriculture in Louisiana Agriculture in Spain Agriculture in Texas