The extra virgin olive oil from Coratina, an excellence of our territory, has been included among the products listed in the regional PAT – Traditional Agri-food Products.
The PAT, established pursuant to Article 8, paragraph 1 of Legislative Decree No. 173 of 1998, aim to enhance the gastronomic heritage of the territory. They include traditional products in which peasant culture, tradition, production techniques, and the territory find their highest expression.
This is the rightful recognition for a high-quality product that has distinguished itself over time for its quality and its unmistakable flavor of well-balanced bitterness and spiciness, combined with notes of fresh grass, artichoke, and almond.
The history of this variety has ancient origins; it was first mentioned as “uliva a racimolo” (or a racioppe, from the dialect meaning ‘bunch’) by the physician and agronomist Giovanni Presta in his work “Memoria intorno ai sessantadue saggi diversi di olio” presented to Ferdinand IV, King of the Two Sicilies. It was then Professor Girolamo Caruso, in the late 1800s, who definitively associated this variety with the municipality of Corato, from where it rapidly spread across the provinces of Bari, BAT, and Foggia.
The Coratina cultivar is indeed the undisputed protagonist of the Corato area, dominating the landscape with its ancient trees. The oil produced from it, thanks to ongoing enhancement and promotion efforts, is increasingly appreciated by consumers, also for its health properties due to the high presence of polyphenols and antioxidants.
The hope is that this important recognition will contribute to further increasing the culture of extra virgin olive oil from Coratina as a unique and special product for its place of origin, its history, and production tradition, as well as for the commitment of all those who have always worked to pass down the passion and care for a cultivar with an authentic and unparalleled taste.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Monocultivar Coratina
