It’s time to find out the exact age and origin of the olive trees on the Brijuni that are supposedly 1000 years old
The Brijuni islands are known for various reasons. The Istrian archipelago houses one of the seven Croatian National Parks; the islands were used as the State Summer Residence of Josip Broz Tito back in the day, they were one of the first prominent destinations in the early age of tourism development in Croatia, and if go further back in history, we’ll find remnants of medieval architecture and ancient Roman villas.
One of the lesser known things about the Brijuni is that they are home to olive trees that are more than a thousand years old. The origin of the millennial olive groves has never been properly researched, nor have the sorts growing on the islands been described in detail. An interesting project is about to get launched in the National Park Brijuni and in the nearby towns of Fažana and Valbadon, aiming to get more insight into the history of the ancient olive trees.
The project was conceived by the NP Brijuni, the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb, the olive oil factory Palunko in Fažana, and the Sector for Energy and Environmental Protection at the Croatian Chamber of Economy. Representatives of the National Park have stated the project in question aims to discern the state and the age of the olive groves on the Brijuni and in Fažana, hoping to eventually brand the Brijuni olive oil.
The first study group assembled to carry out research of the millennial olive sorts and their origin will head to the islands on November 3, 2017. There will be around 30 participants of various backgrounds: scientific experts, graduate and postgraduate students, journalists and members of the public, who will take fruit samples from fifteen oldest trees, participate in an olive harvest on the Brijuni, and get acquainted with the process of manufacturing virgin cold-pressed olive oil in the Palunko factory in Fažana.
In the two days the study group will spend in the area, the scientific advisers from the Ruđer Bošković Institute will carry out sampling of the oldest olive trees on the Brijuni, in Fažana and Valbadon, in order to ascertain their accurate age and devise plans for their future preservation.
The entire project is seen as a sort of olive forensics: after the olive oil samples manufactured in Fažana have aged a couple of months, they will be subjected to their first expert sommelier examination. Wouldn’t it be a pity for such an intriguing process to come to a close without the public getting a chance to learn more about it? This is exactly why the production company Nove boje medija (New colours of the media) from Zagreb will accompany the group and film a documentary about the project. At the beginning of 2018, the film will be presented at the European Parliament in Brussels, and will also be made available to the wider European gastronomic scene.
Source: HINA
