 
Once cropped and brought to the mill as soon as pssible, olives pass through a succession of treatments, after which we'll have a trickle of golden oil ready to be out on the table. Transport of olives to the mill must take place in airy baskets, able to avoid mould rising and fermentations in the lower stratum of the weight. Before proceeding with extraction, olives are separated from foliage and impurity, only after that they are ready for milling. In this first phase olives are crushed together with kernels, obtaining a rough pulp with wood fragments which have a draining function, then this pulp is subjected to kneading, that is a slow mixing to break water - oil emulsions and to obtain the separation between must - oil and vegetation water. We have to say, there are different methods to obtain the finished product, which can be divided between continuous and discontinuous. The oldest discontinuous method is surely that of mechanical pressure. The pulp is put on disks of vegetal fibre named "fiscoli" ( today syntetical materials are used to guarantee hygiene), everything is than put on a pile under a press, that in one hour, let the must - oil flow out. The solid part of the pulp which, after the pressing, will remain adherent at the "fiscoli" is named sansa, from it, with other proceedings it will be possible obtain other oil, but of inferior quality. Among the continuous methods actually used we have to remember the centrifugation, which, basing on the different specific gravity of the components, divides oil from pulp and vegetation water. Oil obtained from these operations is turbid and opalescent, a period of rest is necessary (named "decantazione") to have all the estraneuous substances make deposit on the bottom, after that you can decant oil. Sometimes oil can be filtered more times, obtaining in this way a product with brillant and limpid colour, without those vegetal particles which could accelerate rancidity processes. Now we have seen al the processes and the new oil is ready to be distributed to exalt our dishes. |
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