This recipe and story were shared by Francisco Marcobal, from Valderrobres, Spain.
When Paco (a spanish nickname for Francisco) Marcobal was a child, he would go to school with his pockets full of olives. Everything ended up stained, of course, but it was worth it. The olives he carried were made at home by his parents – from pruning and irrigation to harvesting and curing.
At that time, Paco still lived in the countryside, on his parents’ finca in Valderrobres, in the autonomous community of Aragón, Spain. But life changed when, as a young man, he moved to Barcelona and became a teacher. The 150 olive trees of the Empeltre variety that his family tended were left behind, visited only occasionally during trips back home.
In 2014, when he retired at the age of 60, he decided to return to the fertile land that had given him so much oil and so many olives throughout his life. With his father, he learned once again how to prune and care for the trees. José Marcobal Gil, then 90 years old, still looked after the olive trees that had become part of the family’s identity. And Paco, who lives with diabetes, thought to himself: “The secret of my father’s long life must be in the olive trees.” Now Paco lives a very healthy lifestyle, taking care of his body and mind as he takes care of the trees – just as he learned from his beloved father, who passed away a few years ago.
The very same olives he once stuffed into his school pockets are now produced by his own hands – through a slow, manual, and solitary process. “A one-man job,” he says: caring for the trees, harvesting each olive by hand, and preparing them for the table.
But this seemingly solitary work becomes collective the moment the family gathers around the table to savour the olives he prepared, following Aragón’s traditional recipe, passed down from generation to generation. A recipe that has simply always been.
Within Aragón’s traditional method lies what Paco considers the true beauty of this Mediterranean heritage: every place, every olive variety, has its own way of preserving and transforming olives. But one thing never changes: the beauty of the olive tree, a truly special tree that protects itself and endures as best it can.
Just like Paco, who cares for each tree as if it were part of his family – because, in a way, they are.
Aragón Table Olive Recipe
Shared by Paco, Aragón, Spain
Harvesting
- When: From December to January, depending on the year
- How: Hand-picked
- Olive variety: Empeltre – a medium-sized black olive native to Spain, especially traditional in Aragón and the Balearic Islands. It is valued both as a table olive and for producing high-quality olive oil.
Paco prepares Empeltre olives in three traditional ways: one for black olives and two for green olives.
Black Olives
- Wash the olives and the jar thoroughly.
- Prepare a brine using the floating-egg method:
- Dissolve salt gradually in water, stirring as you add it, until a raw egg placed in the solution floats to the surface.
- Dissolve salt gradually in water, stirring as you add it, until a raw egg placed in the solution floats to the surface.
- Place the olives in the jar and add thyme, a classic Aragón seasoning for olives.
- Store and allow to cure.
- Ready to eat: after 3 to 8 months, depending on the ripeness of the olives when prepared. Always taste and check before serving.
Green Olives – Long Method (Traditional)
- Wash the olives and the jar thoroughly.
- Crush each olive individually using a wooden mallet.
- Place the olives in a brine with salt and savory (ajedrea, known in Spain as “the olive herb”).
- Allow to cure.
- Ready to eat: after 1 year.
Green Olives – Quick Method (For the Impatient!)
A faster method when you really can’t wait to enjoy your olives.
- Wash the olives thoroughly.
- Prepare a solution of caustic soda (lye) and water:
- Ratio: 100 g caustic soda to 5 litres of water.
- Ratio: 100 g caustic soda to 5 litres of water.
- Soak the olives in this solution for 24 hours.
- Discard the lye solution, rinse the olives, and cover them with fresh water.
- Change the water daily for 10 days to ensure all traces of lye are removed.
- Place the olives in a jar with salt brine (again using the floating-egg method) and savory (ajedrea).
- Ready to eat: immediately after this process.
