Island Lošinj

The olive is the primordial maternal provider of the island – along with the vine, figs, sheep and fish. With rapid tourist development of Lošinj in the second half of the 19. century, care of the island's olive groves which had been nurtured from time immemorial was neglected.

Today, with the trend towards a return to the original, natural and healthy, this means a return of the Lošinj inhabitants to olives and olive-growing. Visit the old olive mills in Ćunj and Veli Lošinj and discover for yourself how to recognise the purest olive oil, taste the island's bye-products from this liquid gold, join in the harvest, even plant your own olive tree in the new olive groves of Lošinj. And no matter what, don't forget to taste the numerous culinary specialities from olives and with olives in Lošinj's restaurants or taverns from the Fragrances and Tastes of Lošinj's chain.

THE OLIVE TREE (lat. Olea europaea L.)
The oldest and most famous cultivated plant in the Mediterranean. The olive tree survives for several hundred years. There is a difference between the wild olive tree – Olea europaea L. subsp. oleaster and the cultivated olive tree – Olea europaea L. subsp. sativa.
*subsp. Abbreviation from the Latin name for subspecies.

THE OLIVE TREE IN MY GARDEN AND YOURS
The wild olive tree appears as a hugely rambling evergreen shrub, somewhat smaller than the cultivated olive tree, with fewer leaves and extremely thorny branches. The fruit of the wild olive tree is also smaller than that of the cultivated one. Ripe fruit is almost black and it has a large stone.

The wild olive tree grows on dry and rocky areas of our coastal region. Through selection and improvement, several hundred types of cultivated olive trees are grown throughout the world.


NUTRITIONAL VALUE
The fruit of the olive tree contains oil in both the fleshy part as well as the seeds as reserve matter. Virgin cold-pressed oil is a blend of glyceride which contains 80-85% oleic acid, 5-10% linoleic acid and 8-15% palmitic acid as well as a few free fatty acids.

Due to its composition, olive oil is a high-quality dietetic oil.

MEDICINAL AND THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS
Olive leaves contain oleuropein – an iridoid with a bitter taste as well as numerous flavonoids. Tea from dried or fresh leaves lowers blood pressure. In folk medicine, tea is used for lowering levels of sugar in the blood. Olive oil with medicinal herbs, which contain essential oils, is used for massage. Oil therapy is also known to remove gallstones – it is recommended only under doctor's supervision.

SIDE EFFECTS: It may cause stomach problems to persons of a delicate constitution.

INTERESTING FACT
Olive oil was the basis of prosperity for the coastal inhabitants. Long ago, it served as a means of payment while simultaneously being used in the preparation of everyday meals.

IMPORTANT
Oil for massage is prepared from cold-pressed olive oil with various dried medicinal herbs infused (St. John's wort, rosemary, lavender, pot marigold....). Medicinal and essential oils from herbs dissolve extremely well in olive oil thus achieving greater benefit of medicinal properties.

Olive oil (virgin oil) is yellow to greenish yellow colour and is extracted cold pressed from fresh or dried olives (using 20 – 40%). Oil pressed at a higher temperature and pressure can be used for consumption only after refining.

GASTRONOMY

OLIVE SPREAD
Ingredients:
150 gr. black olives stoned
1 small tin of tuna
A little pepper
2-3 cloves of garlic
120 ml. of olive oil

Preparation:
All ingredients, except oil, should be puréed with the help of an electric food mixer. Then with short squirts, add the oil mixing all the time. Leave the spread in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and serve with toast.

FISH FILLETS WITH OLIVES
Ingredients:
600 gr. of fish fillet
10 olives
200 gr. cherry tomatoes
100 ml olive oil
100 ml. dry white wine
2 cloves of garlic, a bunch of parsley, pepper and salt

Preparation:
Braise the finely chopped parsley and garlic in olive oil, and then arrange the fish fillets on this. When they become evenly golden-brown, pour in the wine, braise on moderate heat until the wine evaporates, add tomatoes, salt, pepper and continue braising at a higher temperature for another 10 minutes. Just before removing from heat, add olives and serve very hot.