Liguria Taggiasca olive PGI

The Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/1995 of 17 April 2024 has registered the name ‘Ligurian Taggiasca olive’ in the register of Protected Geographical Indications (PGI), officially recognizing the identity and quality value of this production symbol of Ligurian olive growing.

The registration is based on a production specification that precisely defines the product characteristics, the geographical area, the processing stages, and the historical and environmental link with the territory.

Geographical area and origin of raw material

The production area of Ligurian Taggiasca olive PGI includes the entire administrative territory of . This implies that:. It follows that:

• the raw material consists of Taggiasca cultivar olivesproduced in a typical pedoclimatic environment characterized by terraced slopes and soils derived from the disintegration of calcareous or schistose-sandy rocks;

• all the phases – from cultivation to harvesting, processing, and packaging – must take place exclusively in Liguriaaccording to traditional agronomic methods which ensure the fruit’s particular sensory fineness and the balance between sweetness and bitterness that characterize this variety.

Cultivation and harvesting conditions

The olive harvesting intended for PGI is carried out manually or with light mechanical facilitators, maintaining the integrity of the drupe, and must be completed by March 31 of each year.

The use of chemical products to accelerate the ripening or falling of fruit is prohibited.

The maximum production is set at 9000 kg of olives per hectare, a value consistent with the average yield of Ligurian olive growing, which favors quality over quantity.

Processing stages

The main stages of processing, all located ‘in the geographical area of the Liguria Region in continuous succession’, include:

• defoliation, washing, sorting e calibration, to eliminate drupes smaller than 10 mm in diameter;

• immersion in brine (water and sodium chloride from 5 to 15%), with a minimum maturation of 45 days;

• possible pitting and preparation of dry olives or in extra virgin olive oil, in which the proportion of oil varies between 30% and 40% of the weight of the olives;

• for olive paste or pâté, the pulp is ground until a creamy and spreadable consistency is obtained.

The forced de-bittering with alkaline agents is expressly prohibited, to protect the genuineness of the natural taste of the Taggiasca variety.

Product characteristics

The Protected Geographical Indication ‘Liguria Taggiasca olives’ designates the Table olives (olives in brine, dry pitted olives, pitted olives in brine, pitted olives in extra virgin olive oil) and olive paste or pâté obtained from olives of the ‘Taggiasca’ variety produced in Liguria.

Table olives

‘The Ligurian Taggiasca PGI olives, in the basic physical state (olives in brine), at the time of marketing show the following characteristics:

• color: from green to violet-green, a typical iridescence up to dark brown and black;

• pulp: hard if whole; soft, elastic, greasy to the touch, little fibrous if pitted;

• texture: slightly crunchy if whole; from soft to slightly crunchy if pitted;

• aroma: presence of fruity notes;

• flavor: slightly acidic in good balance with a light bitter note;

• licking: median ≥ 8.0 if whole;

• sweet: median ≥ 2.0;

• bitter: median ≤ 3.0’.

Olive paste or pâté

In the form Olive paste or pâté the Ligurian Taggiasca IGP olives, at the time of market release, ‘have the following characteristics:

• touch appearance: oily, creamy;

• color: from brown to wine red to dark brown;

• pulp: oily;

• texture: fine, spreadable;

• aroma: presence of fruity notes;

• flavor: slightly acidic in good balance with a light bitter note;

• sweet: median ≥ 2.0;

• bitterness: median ≤ 3.0.’

‘The sensory attribute evaluation of Ligurian Taggiasca olives in the basic physical state (olives in brine) and in the form of olive paste or paté is carried out according to the «Sensory analysis method for table olives» developed by the IOC, Document COI/OT/MO No. 1/Rev. 3, June 2021’.

Packaging and labeling

The packaging must take place in the production area, in containers suitable for food use with a net weight ranging from 40 g to 5 kg, except for further processing. Each package must include:

• the denomination ‘Ligurian Taggiasca olives’;

• the type (in brine, pitted, in extra virgin oil, paste/paté);

• the expression ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ or the acronym ‘PGI’;

• the EU logo of Protected Geographical Indications;

• the appropriate logo in white and blue colors with the name and outline of the Liguria Region.

Reputation and sensory characteristics

The reputation of Ligurian Taggiasca PGI olives is established by centuries of tradition, documented already in the 17th century in the archives of San Fruttuoso di Camogli and in the Argentina-Armea valley, the original diffusion area of the cultivar.

The organoleptic peculiarities of the olives, confirmed by scientific and sector studies, are distinguished by balanced sweetness with a slight bitterness, the pronounced 'spiccagnolo' (ease of separating the pulp from the pit) and a delicate and harmonious flavor.

Link with the territory and natural factors

The typicality of the Ligurian Taggiasca PGI olive derives from the interaction between genotype (Taggiasca cultivar) and phenotype linked to natural, historical, and human factors. The variety – originating from Taggia (in Liguria, province of Imperia), where Benedictine monks planted the first vines in the 10th century – it has perfectly adapted to the Ligurian pedoclimatic conditions: mild climate, sunny exposure, constant ventilation and protection from cold winds.

The morphology of the soils and the root system of the plant contributed to preserving the terraces Ligurian, declared byUNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Climatic conditions favor a slow and uniform maturation of the drupes, optimizing sugar accumulation and conferring a profile of superior sweetness compared to other Taggiasca olives grown elsewhere or other varieties, as confirmed by statistical studies (CeRSAA, 2021; CeRSAA-LABCAM, 2024).

Conclusions

The production specifications of the Ligurian Taggiasca olive IGP codify a production model that protects the Ligurian origin of the raw material, the traditional harvesting and processing techniques, and the sensory peculiarities of the fruit.

The harvesting and processing exclusively in Liguria represent not only a geographical constraint but also an identity and cultural value that distinguishes this IGP in the European olive-growing landscape.

Dario Dongo

Photo courtesy Consorzio di tutela olive taggiasche liguri IGP

References

• European Commission. Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50, paragraph 2, letter a), of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs. http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/3097/oj

• Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF). (2025). Production specifications 'Oliva Taggiasca Ligure IGP'.

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1995 of 25 September 2025 registering the geographical indication Olive taggiasche liguri (IGP) in the Union register of geographical indications pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council. http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2025/1995/oj