Le Marche Regional Produce and Olivaverde.
Le Marche produces a wonderful and diverse array of fine Extra virgin olive oils, jams, preserves and pasta. Many holiday home owners and clients who live in the UK maybe only get back to Le Marche once or twice a year and many really miss typical Marchigiani food and olive oil once they return home, as it is practically impossible to buy it outside of the region.
Many of the foreign visitors and indeed most Italians have never come across Marchigiani organic extra virgin olive oil and pasta and this is something we at Livinginlemarche have been trying to change in our own small way. Now with the help of friends living both in Le Marche and in the UK we have set up Olivaverde, the aim of which is to introduce people outside of the Le Marche region to its wonderful produce.
Since early 2009 we have been importing small quantities of high quality sole producer organic extra virgin olive oil into the UK and so far this has only been sold in a few specialist outlets in the London area and the home counties of Berkshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. With Olivaverde we feel we can now promote and distribute much more effectively, Le Marche produce both in the UK and hopefully in 2010 in the USA, starting with outlets in New York and San Francisco.
Olive oils from Tuscany, Umbria, Sicily and Puglia, make up the majority of olive oil that is widely sold outside of Italy and olive oils from Le marche rarely make an appearance.
A few of the fine red wines from Le Marche such as Rosso Piceno and Rosso Conero are sold in specialist shops in the UK and the popular white wine Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi is found in most of the large supermarket chains, but Le Marche olive oils are still virtually impossible to find.
Olivaverde hopes to change that in our own small way over the next few years and also introduce some the lovely regional pastas such as Maccheroncini di Campofilone, which is a very thin pasta similar to spaghetti but only produced in and around the Adriatic coastal village of Campofilone in southern Le Marche.
Feedback from consumers that have purchased olive oil from the Le Marche region has been very encouraging. Comments about how fine and fruity the taste of the Le Marche olive oil is compared to other Italian regional olive oils is common and most would happily purchase the Marche olive oils in preference to most other olive oils they have already sampled, whether from Italy or other parts of the world.
Olivaverde is committed to only promoting the best organic extra virgin olive oils and pasta made by small individual producers located throughout the Le Marche region. Because of this the output of these olive oils and pasta is normally quite small, often only a few hundred bottles a year, but all the olive oil will be produced in the traditional way and only from certified olive groves and all the producers will be individually known to us, both a colleagues and often as good friends.
In 2010 we are also going to offer holidays in the region which will be focused on olive oil production and appreciation. Olive oil tastings at producers estates and olive groves will be only part of the package that will be on offer and please folow this Blog for more updates on our holiday offerings over the next few months.
But apart from our interest and involvement in organic olive oils and pasta, Le Marche also offers many other types of delicious regional dishes and produce.
One very moorish and rare speciality and also typical of the region is the famous "Brodetto" or fish soup which is found in the central and northern parts of Le Marche. On the coast, the Brodetto marchigiano is widely prepared and made with fish dipped in flour, fried in a mixture of oil, onion and parsley and truly delicious.
In other areas there are many different specialties such as pecorino di fossa made from goats milk and which is normally matured in caves and with a wonderful peppery flavour. Pecorino di San Leo, made from sheep milk, and with an unforgettable full flavour.
Most famous throughout Le Marche is the Olive Ascolane, large olives filled with a mixture of cheese, egg, nutmeg, meat, chopped and mixed with salami, prosciutto, lemon peel and parsley. The prepared olive is then dipped in beaten egg and bread crumbs and fried in oil and has been to eaten to appreciate its meaty texture and flavour.
Le Marche is currently overlooked when one normally thinks of Italian fine food and olive oils, but we at Olivaverde are about to change the outside worlds perception of what the region has to offer.
So please get in touch with us at Livinginlemarche if you wish to become involved or have more information on any of our products or Olive oil appreciation holidays.
