What are the differences between Arbequina and Picual oil?
What is the best oil? Arbequina or Picual? Due to the fame and extent of these two varieties, this question is often repeated in Olive Oil Stores, in visits to oil mills or in Oil tastings.
To get the answer, it is best to try and decide for ourselves, since each one of them has different organoleptic properties and characteristics that can make your favorite one or the other (or that you both love, despite being so different).
The olive oil of the Arbequina variety stands out for its softness, while the picual is quite intense, with a bitter aftertaste. So, without a doubt, its flavor is one of the main differences between Arbequina and Picual.
But, in addition to the taste of the palate, there are many other differences between both varieties, let’s discover them!
6 Differences between Arbequina and Picual
1. Different flavors and sensory experience
The Arbequina variety is one of the mild oils par excellence. It is a very fluid oil, characterized by being soft, light and fruity. In this variety, bitter or spicy flavors are hardly perceived, while aromas of apple, almond and banana are appreciated.
However, Picual oil has a lot of body and it does have marked attributes of bitterness and itching, which can increase depending on the type of oil. It has a green olive fruit and due to its flavor it is considered an oil with “personality”.
2. Origin and production area
Picual oil is native to Jaén, but it is also grown in Granada, Córdoba and Ciudad Real. The Arbequina variety comes from the town of Arbeca, in Lérida, which gives its name to this widespread variety in Catalonia, but also in other communities, such as Aragón, Castilla La Mancha and Andalusia.
The olive trees of our beloleum oil grow in Aragon, where the Arbequina variety abounds next to the empeltre. Our 100% single-varietal premium Arbequina EVOO is made in our familiar olive oil mill with olives from the Belchite countryside and is the favorite of many for being soft, light and sweet.
3. Uses in the kitchen
This main difference between one variety and another leads us to different uses in the kitchen. Due to this “character” of the Picual, it is better to use it in raw than in fried foods or in stews in which we risk it becoming the predominant flavor. Generally, it is not used in confectionery, where the Arbequina variety is the queen, due to the aforementioned softness. In addition, it is perfect for frying and cooking, as well as a perfect companion of sauces and cold creams, in which it enhances the flavor of the rest of the ingredients without being so predominant.
The best way to enjoy both varieties is Consuming in raw oil, for example, with bread at breakfast, where both Picual and Arbequina are two of the best oils for toast For its organoleptic qualities, which make each one opt for one or another option according to their tastes.
4. The Picual Olive in front of the Arbequina
Elliptically, the picual olive, and from there its name, ends in a point. Arbequina, however, has a more rounded and symmetrical shape. If the arbequina oil is made with the green olives from the beginning of the campaign, it can be moderately bitter, spicy and sweet, and with a slightly green tone. In this sense, the picual oil is usually greener than the arbequina, although the color basically depends on the maturity of the olive.
5. The differences between the Arbequina and Picual olive trees
Indeed, olive trees are also different. The picual is more vigorous and its leaves are elongated, compared to the short leaves of Arbequina.
6. Hectares of production
Finally, the Picual variety is the most abundant in Spain and in the world, with 900,000 hectares in the country, mainly in Jaén, Granada and Córdoba. Arbequina, widespread in the north of Spain, occupies a smaller area of about 100,000 hectares.
So which oil is better? Picual or Arbequina?
Attending to the saying, “for tastes, colors” and, in this case, varieties, everything depends on your preferences. As we have indicated, the taste of Arbequina oil is different from Picual and, therefore, its culinary uses are different. The Picual is perfect for giving personality to a cold preparation, like toast where the oil is the protagonist, a Ajoblanco or a Apple salmorejo. Meanwhile, the arbequina -soft and light, but with some fruity nuances that make it one of the most appreciated- serves to enhance these preparations raw and to use in other types of recipes, such as stews, creams, sauces and pastries.
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