Wine tastings have long been a popular holiday activity, with craft beer tourism on the rise in recent years, too. But if you’re more of a foodie, we have good news, as Spain has just launched a new tourism project that puts the spotlight on the country’s olive oil.
Oleotourism Spain features more than 100 curated experiences across nine provinces, with the aim of encouraging tourists to escape the crowds in favour of its towns, villages and countryside, and to visit outside of high season.
Provinces taking part in the new project, which was backed by €1.5 million (£1.3 million) in EU recovery funds, include Badajoz, Cáceres, Ciudad Real, Cordova, Huelva, Jaén, Seville and Tarragona.
In Pulpí, you can visit olive estate OleoAlmanzora where you can learn about the local varieties of Picual and Arbequina olives and the region’s distinctive dryland farming practices, tour the mill to discover how the oil is cold-pressed and bottled, and enjoy a tasting session featuring different extra virgin olive oils, including those infused with garlic, chili or lemon.
Over in the Catalan mountain village Riudecanyes, tourists can explore the boutique family-run Escornalbou Gourmet, which focuses on eco-friendly production and cultural preservation. There, you can stroll among century-old olive trees, learn about the microclimate and traditional cultivation techniques that give the olive oil a fruity character, and try it paired with pan con tomate, or in the form of chocolate. You can even infuse your own olive oil, or create olive-based cosmetics, too.
Serra Calderona Natural Park has long been a popular choice for hikers and cyclists, and surrounding villages like Olocau, Gàtova, and Segorbe are now offering tastings of rare oils from trees that are hundreds of years old, like Serrana de Espadán and Villalonga.
You can discover all of the new olive oil experiences over on the Oleotourism Spain website now.
More information: oleoturismoespana.com
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Dining and Cooking