Located in the extreme south, right at the tip of the “boot”, is one of the most unique regions of Italy and still little crowded by the hordes of tourists. Bathed by the waters of the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas, with Sicily in front, Calabria surprises for the beauty of its coasts, but also the interior keeps secrets dotted with a mysticism inherited from its historical past.
Because the territory where this narrow region extends today, with a typically Mediterranean landscape, has welcomed over the centuries numerous peoples and civilizations, from the Classical Antiquity of the Greeks and Romans to the Byzantines and Normans, without forgetting the passage of the Spanish. It is a diamond in the rough for lovers of history and archaeology.
And not only to recover the cultural heritage, because in Calabria also survives a mythical creature that seems to be taken from mythical stories. It is the strange white olive tree, a tree once common in the area that seemed doomed to disappear.
He olive tree of the madonna
The locals know this unique tree as olive tree of the madonnathe olive tree of the Virgin, a nickname that only reinforces that character of mythical antiquity surrounded by a sacred halomysterious and suggestive.
The academic name by which this tree is known is Olea leucocarpapreviously leucolea. Its name comes from the roots of ancient Greek λευκός (leukoswhite), Ἐλαία (elaeaolive) and καρπός (karposseed or fruit), but for those who know or remember its existence it is simply the white olive tree.
It is one of many variants of mediterranean tree par excellence that has so marked the historical and cultural development of all the peoples that have settled along its coasts. But, while the cultivation of different varieties of olive trees developed in each region, the leucocarpa was disappearing.
The lack of historical sources makes it difficult to trace its concrete history and possible importance in ancient civilizations, although it is known that it was once much more widespread, especially in southern Italy, Greece and northern Africa. Their distinctive white fruits they would mark his relationship with the human being and also his destiny, condemned to disappear in a world less and less concerned with myths and the sacred.
The religious nickname already gives us a clear clue of its future. This tree, when it appeared in all its splendor, with its branches blowing in the wind laden with pearly fruits, appeared almost like a mystical apparition. The white color has always had a strong symbolism with purity and the sacred, so it is not surprising that it became an object of worship and respect.
It is believed that the ancient settlers already used white olives as offering to the gods and that an oil was made with them to anoint distinguished characters or practice various rites. In more recent times, these olive trees grew near the churches and religious communities, and this oil was used to illuminate temples and homes, or as a gift at baptisms and weddings.
An archaeologist to save the white olive tree
A native of Calabria, the archaeologist Anna Maria Rotella he had an almost mystical encounter with one of the last white olive trees still growing wild in his homeland. according to account Gastro DarkHe had heard of this mythical tree, still remembered by the elders of the place, but had never seen it anywhere in his life.
Although the last known specimen seemed to have been lost in a fire many years ago, Rotolla had been determined to find a living specimen that would attest to the presence of the mythical olive tree in the region. Investigating among the neighbors and consulting the few sources, he managed to draw a map of possible sightingsuntil, one day, it appeared to him.
It was a white olive tree, about 50 years old, wild, imposing, and with branches full of white fruits, brilliant in the Calabrian sun. “Then I understood the meaning of the sacred,” he confesses. The effect is almost magical when the vision of common olive trees is common, but suddenly one of the trees shines with pearly olives, compared to the typical dark ones of its peers. A true Rare avis almost supernatural.
Rotella speaks of a “miracle”, since that expression cannot be expressed in any other way. sacred bond that unites the Calabrians with such a tree, that dazzling in its strange beauty, surviving like the strangest of the place in a land of survivors. religion, myth and folklore they are mixed in a feeling of attachment for this tree that was believed to be lost.
The archaeologist thus undertook a project to safeguard this tree, locating other specimens and promoting their protection and development in the area. It has already identified more than 120 wild specimens in Calabria, and has managed to involve local communities to protect and cultivate new trees, especially with the support of churches, recovering their sacredness. Now they are working on extending the initiative to Italy and other Mediterranean regions.
Revaluing the white olive to protect diversity
Beyond this sacred and symbolic character, the white olive was never highly appreciated as an agri-food product. He oil that is obtained from the pressing and extraction of these olives is very clear, whitish, almost transparentand therefore little valued compared to the brilliant gold of common olive oil.
In addition, according to the same Rotolla account, organoleptically speaking the oil has never been much to the taste of the Calabrians either, too spicy and with a somewhat strange aftertaste for the local palate, accustomed to a more balanced and fruity flavor. On the contrary, when heated and burned it produces very little smoke, making it ideal for fueling oil lamps. A utility that logically fell into disuse.
The white olive only seemed to be consumed in a very specific way by the peasants themselves, on the ground, fries as an appetizer or a complement to lunch to recharge your batteries. But it was rarely deliberately included in the traditional cookbook; that’s what the other olives were for.
It is a fruit that only remains white when it ripens on the tree and remains fresh. Once they fall or are collected, they lose their pale tone, which also disappears if they are preserved in brine. The lack of color of the white olive is due to the absence of chlorophyll and anthocyaninssubstances that do contain ordinary olives.
Although experiments are being carried out to preserve that white color beyond the tree, and testing techniques to process the oil and the olives themselves with culinary uses, what interests biologists, agronomists and farmers the most is the protection of the tree itselfand prevent their extinction.
His disappearance would mean an irreparable loss to the biodiversity and the very history and culture of regions like Calabria, where the strange white olive tree seemed doomed to remain only a myth lost in memory.
Photos | Sheila Southcott – Rainhard Wiesinger – Masaneo Agricoltura
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