OLIVE TAPENADE
The use of Bella di Cerignola olives for the production of table olives has always been known. But the Cooperative has glimpsed the possibility of using part of its "Bella di Cerignola" olives for the production of an olive paste which, mixed with the extra virgin olive oil obtained from the Bella di Cerignola and Coratina Olive cultivars, allows to obtain a tapenade with unique characteristics: decisive, unmistakable and with a delicate scent of olive oil.
Production process
The olives destined for the production of the tapenade, once they reach the company, are sorted and then left to ferment in brine for at least eight months. During this they lose most of the bitterness. After that, the olives are desalted and dehydrated until they are ready to be pitted. This procedure takes place through the use of a machine that allows, through the centrifugal force, to remove the pits and to chop the pulp. In order to obtain the paste, the pulp is mixed with the extra virgin olive oil of own production. The tapenade is then packaged in glass jars, which undergo a pasteurization heat treatment. This guarantees the consumer a safe product, with constant organoleptic, olfactory and visual characteristics for a period of eighteen months.