[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Header Section” _builder_version=”3.1.1″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(251,251,251,0.67)” background_color_gradient_end=”#fbfbfb” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” background_image=”https:\/\/www.destinosubbetica.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Subbetica-landscape-olive-groves-watchtower_Casa-Olea.jpg” custom_padding=”7em||9em|” next_background_color=”#fbfbfb”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Header Row” custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding_phone=”3vw|||” custom_margin=”|||” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”T\u00edtulo” _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font=”Poppins|700|||||||” text_font_size=”40″ text_font_size_phone=”35″ text_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_line_height_phone=”1em” header_2_font=”Poppins|700|||||||” header_2_text_align=”center” header_2_font_size=”40px” header_2_font_size_phone=”35px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”||1%|-1px” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” header_font=”Poppins|700|||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_font_size=”40px” header_font_size_phone=”35px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” header_line_height=”0.3em” header_3_text_align=”center” header_3_font=”Poppins||||||||” header_3_font_size=”20px” header_3_text_color=”#ac1617″ header_2_line_height=”0.3em”]<\/p>\n
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Any list of the world\u2019s top 10 olive oils spotlights the prize-winning<\/strong>, sparkling-gold olive oils crafted in southern C\u00f3rdoba province<\/strong>, around the Subb\u00e9tica town of Priego de C\u00f3rdoba as well as neighbouring Baena and Lucena. Each of these is the heart of its own protected olive oil Denominaci\u00f3n de Origen<\/strong> (DO; quality-certified region), which all prioritise local olive varieties<\/strong>, keep production methods artisanal and trace their history back to Roman Spain. Visitors can jump on fascinating olive oil tours and tastings<\/strong> and meet local family producers working with traditions that go back generations<\/strong>. And the Subb\u00e9tica\u2019s unforgettable Andalucian gastronomy is rooted in its distinctive olive oil, worked into everything from Zuheros goat\u2019s cheese to sweet local desserts.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Header Row” custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding_phone=”3vw|||” custom_margin=”|||” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.1.1″ src=”https:\/\/www.destinosubbetica.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/gastronomia-en-la-subbetica-aceites-de-oliva-virgen-extra.jpg” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font=”Poppins|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#ac1617″ text_font_size=”30px” text_orientation=”center”]<\/p>\n Priego de C\u00f3rdoba DO<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TEXTO LARGO” _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font_size=”16px” text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Andaluc\u00eda is the world\u2019s largest producer of olive oil and tranquil C\u00f3rdoba province is behind some of the very best olive oils in Spain, which include a raft of on-the-up organic olive oils. Many of C\u00f3rdoba\u2019s finest drops come from the lively white town of Priego de C\u00f3rdoba, on the eastern side of the Subb\u00e9tica.<\/p>\n Filled with spectacular Spanish Baroque architecture, Priego is famous for its liquid-gold creations from the hojiblanca<\/em>, picual<\/em> and picuda<\/em> olive varieties, under the Denominaci\u00f3n de Origen Protegida Priego <\/a>de <\/a>C\u00f3rdoba<\/a>. The Priego DO\u2019s hillside olive groves date back hundreds, if not thousands, of years, with 6000 local families now tending to them. Around 50% of these trees sit over 1000m high, so most are still hand-picked in traditional style, without any big machinery. Several of the rural hotels here make their own olive oil too \u2013 and visitors can often join in during winter harvest time!<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.1.1″ src=”https:\/\/www.destinosubbetica.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/245807779_2401046333366011_8666229365805458472_n.jpg” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font=”Poppins|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#ac1617″ text_font_size=”30px” text_orientation=”center”]<\/p>\n Baena DO<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TEXTO LARGO” _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font_size=”16px” text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Rippling north from the Subb\u00e9tica towns of Luque, Do\u00f1a Menc\u00eda, Zuheros and Cabra to the nearby market town of Baena, the Denominaci\u00f3n de Origen Baena<\/a> is another major force of C\u00f3rdoba\u2019s olive oil world. Its fruity, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oils revolve mostly around the picuda<\/em> variety, though the hojiblanca<\/em>, pajarero<\/em> and picual<\/em> olives are also hugely popular.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.1.1″ src=”https:\/\/www.destinosubbetica.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2021092919415896186.jpg” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font=”Poppins|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#ac1617″ text_font_size=”30px” text_orientation=”center”]<\/p>\n Lucena DO<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TEXTO LARGO” _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font_size=”16px” text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n C\u00f3rdoba\u2019s third prize-winning olive oil region is the Denominaci\u00f3n de Origen Protegida Aceite de Lucena<\/a>, which sprawls around the ancient town of Lucena, taking in Izn\u00e1jar, Benamej\u00ed and Rute in the Subb\u00e9tica as well as nearby Montilla and Moriles (both celebrated for their sherry-like wines). This is the birthplace of the hojiblanca<\/em> olive (also called lucentina<\/em>), with other popular varieties including picual<\/em>, picuda<\/em>, arbequina<\/em>, tempranillo <\/em>and campanil<\/em>. The Lucena DO\u2019s outstanding oils are typically fresh and herby, with a fruity touch.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Header Row” custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding_phone=”3vw|||” custom_margin=”|||” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.1.1″ src=”https:\/\/www.destinosubbetica.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Olive-oil-tourism_PriegoDO.jpg” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font=”Poppins|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#ac1617″ text_font_size=”30px” text_orientation=”center”]<\/p>\n Olive oil tourism<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TEXTO LARGO” _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font_size=”16px” text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Producer of some of the world\u2019s best olive oil, it\u2019s no surprise that the Subb\u00e9tica region is also a good option for olive oil tourism in Spain. Visits to local working olive mills, guided hikes through the olive groves, fun-filled olive oil museums and expert-led olive oil tastings tapping into regional Andalucian cuisine are just a few of the tempting oleotourism experiences on offer. You can even unravel the secrets behind beloved recipes fired by Andaluc\u00eda\u2019s olive oil on a Spanish cooking course at one of the Subb\u00e9tica\u2019s lovely rural B&Bs, and many restaurants here will serve up a few varieties of olive oil for you to taste. Or how about a blissful honey-and-olive-oil massage at a boutique spa hotel?<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.1.1″ src=”https:\/\/www.destinosubbetica.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Biking-on-Via-Verde-greenway-Zuheros_Casa-Olea.jpg” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font=”Poppins|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#ac1617″ text_font_size=”30px” text_orientation=”center”]<\/p>\n Cycling and hiking on the V\u00eda Verde del Aceite<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TEXTO LARGO” _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font_size=”16px” text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n For a dazzling insight into just how much olive oil is made in C\u00f3rdoba province, head out along the Subb\u00e9tica\u2019s most beloved biking and walking route. C\u00f3rdoba\u2019s V<\/a>\u00ed<\/a>a Verde del Aceite<\/a> is a star among Andaluc\u00eda\u2019s ingenious greenways \u2013 a collection of historical railway lines that have been reborn as easy hiking and cycling routes, with their former stations transformed into low-key hotels, restaurants, bars and bike-hire shops. You\u2019ll be zipping through scented olive groves and across 19th-century viaducts (designed by French engineers from the Eiffel school) that skirt past delightful white villages such as Zuheros, Luque, Do\u00f1a Menc\u00eda and Cabra, along the northern edge of the Parque Natural Sierras \u00a0Subb\u00e9ticas. Running all the way from Ja\u00e9n city to Puente Genil in western C\u00f3rdoba, this deliciously rural greenway makes a particularly fun adventure for family holidays in Andaluc\u00eda, and it\u2019s also accessible for wheelchair users.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.1.1″ src=”https:\/\/www.destinosubbetica.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Subbetica-landscape-olive-groves-watchtower_Casa-Olea.jpg” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font=”Poppins|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#ac1617″ text_font_size=”30px” text_orientation=”center”]<\/p>\n A Unesco World Heritage Site?<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TEXTO LARGO” _builder_version=”3.1.1″ text_font_size=”16px” text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Andaluc\u00eda\u2019s spectacular 15,000-sq-km Mar de Olivos (Sea of Olive Trees), which sprawls across Granada, Seville, M\u00e1laga and Ja\u00e9n provinces as well as C\u00f3rdoba, is powering towards becoming a Unesco World Heritage Site. With official news expected in 2023, this beautiful expanse may well be joining Spain\u2019s 48 existing Unesco-protected sites, which include close neighbours such as Granada\u2019s Alhambra, C\u00f3rdoba\u2019s Mezquita, Antequera\u2019s prehistoric dolmens and the Renaissance towns of Baeza and \u00dabeda in Ja\u00e9n.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.86″ background_color=”#fbfbfb” prev_background_color=”#ffffff”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.86″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_padding=”0px|||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.1.1″]