Get to know Olive Oil from Portugal | The Olive Oil Professor

Olival dos Arrifes photo credit ©Esporão

Portuguese olive oil has a long, storied history. But its status as sexy and sought after is more recent.

When Ana Carrilho started working in olive oil after getting her university degree in agricultural industry in Lisbon, “it was not fashionable, no one wanted to go into olive oil, and it didn’t pay well,” she remembers. Now Head of Olive Oil at Esporão, a fine Portugal-based wine and olive oil company, Carrilho has witnessed—and helped usher in—a new era of renown for Portuguese olive oil. According to the Eurostat and the European Commission, in 2023 Portugal exported 56 000 tonnes of olive oil making it the 3rd largest producer in the EU (Spain is number one, and Italy is number 2).

History of Olive Oil in Portugal

Portugal has been home to olive oil since the Middle Ages. During the era of Arab rule, olive oil production grew and flourished. 'Azeite,' the Portuguese word for olive oil, is derived from from 'az-zeit,' a word with Arab origin that means olive juice. Varieties including Cobrançosa, Cordovil de Serpa, Galician, Madural and Verdeal are native to the country.

Olive oil is an integral part of Portuguese cuisine and culture. “My grandfather had an olive mill,” says Carrilho. “Maybe olive oil is in my DNA.”

While olive oil was ubiquitous during Carrilho’s childhood, “we took it for granted,” she says. “Nobody cared about varieties or where it came from.”

A new global focus on the health of the Mediterranean diet, with olive oil as its foundation, is in part to thank for Portugal’s olive oil renaissance. Another reason: more Americans than ever before are travelling to Portugal, and they’re bringing home an appreciation for Portuguese cuisine, with olive oil at its heart. From cod and sardines drizzled with olive oil to rice and veggie dishes cooked with the elixir, olive oil is a staple in Portuguese cooking and life.

Celebrating Portuguese Olive Oil at Portugalia Marketplace in Massachusetts

Michael Benevides with his father Fernando Benevides

Finding Portuguese olive oil in the US has not always been easy. But it's a mainstay in ethnic enclaves and at Portuguese specialty stories. Michael Benevides moved from the Portuguese Azores to Fall River, MA with his family when he was just shy of his second birthday, in 1977. “In the 60s and 70s, there were a lot of Portuguese immigrants in Fall River,” says Benevides. “It was a textile city, and my folks came to work in factories like so many others.’ His dad, Fernando Benevides, had “entrepreneurial ambitions,” Michael remembers. The family had a three-car garage, which his father saw as an ideal place to start a business and Portugalia Marketplace was born.

Benevides imported coffee, salt cod, conserva, olives, and olive oil from his home country, and sold them to the local Portuguese community between factory shifts. They were Portuguese staples that were impossible to find in their small city. “We were serving our community, but also building a name and a reputation,” says Benevides. “Customers would come from hours away.”

Benevides saw that his father’s generation was getting older, and there was a new opportunity to bring fresh life to the family business. With his sister Jennifer, he moved the market from a tiny 4000-foot storefront to a 20,000-square-foot store space, transforming its reach. It was a real leap of faith, “but we went for it,” says Benevides. “We have a real sense of pride in what we do.”

Now the country’s leading provider of Portuguese specialty foods, the sprawling store offers 1300 different Portuguese wines and spirits, a café with Portuguese baked goods, a prepared foods counter, and a temperature-controlled room for salt cod. Their olive oil selection went from a handful of bottles to a lineup of dozens, ranging from traditional extra virgin bottles to mono verities featuring indigenous olives. The olives used in these oils—including those sourced from the Alentejo and Trás-os-Montes regions—lend them exceptional flavor characteristics.

Top Recommended Portuguese Olive Oils

Metalfora, Monterosa and Maltes olive oils

"Interest in Portuguese food and olive oil is as high as it’s even been," Benevides reflects. "People are realizing it’s just as good as Italian, Spanish, and French food." Some of his top picks include Metáfora Extra Virgin Olive Oil extracted primarily from “verdeal” olives, it has a green, bitter and spicy flavor. After the olives are selected they are pressed the same day, ensuring high quality. It's an oil that is ideally used cold as a finishing touch. Monterosa Selection Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil which offers both pungency and fruity flavors with a touch of

bitterness. It is recommended for use with fish, grilled and fresh vegetables and on salads. And Maltês Extra Virgin Olive Oil, an oil sourced from olives growing on the banks of Portugal's Guadiana River in the Alentejo region. The oil is a combination of Arbequina varieties, Picual and Cobrancosa, and has a fruity, green, and fresh flavor.

Esporão Raises the Bar on Quality

Olival de Cordovil photo credit ©Esporão

Esporão started with premium Portuguese wine, then quickly realized there were many similarities and rich overlaps with olive oil. Like fine wine, quality olive oil is an expression of the land where it’s grown. Portugal is an ecologically diverse country, characterized by a variety of production methods, regional traditions, and local blends.

Most of Portugal’s olive harvest is exported in bulk, where it might be mixed with other oils and labeled “Mediterranean blend.” Esporão was a pioneer in seeing that there was tremendous value in preserving native verities and creating a demand and appreciation for Portuguese brands on their own merit.

In 1997, Esporão started to mill its own extra-virgin olive oil, bottling it in dark, opaque bottles to protect the precious oil from sunlight, which causes damage. “We created a premium category that didn’t really exist,” Carrilho said. “We were the first in Portugal and one of the first in the world.” Esporão was indeed a trailblazer. Browsing the myriad olive oil available at Portugalia Marketplace makes it clear that there is love for quality olive oils from Portugal.

Esporão’s oils are produced using natural methods and entirely traditional processes, preserving the pure juice of the harvested olives. Some of the trees in Esporão's groves are over 100 years old. Their olive oil is a vehicle to “preserve Portuguese history, identity, and landscape,” Carrilho explains. Plus, it tastes delicious. Portugalia Marketplace carries 3 of the Esporão olive oils including Herdade do Esporão Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Herdade do Esporão Seleção Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Cobrançosa, Azeiteira, Redondil, Arbequina, Arbosana and Picual varieties and Herdade do Esporão North Alentejano Extra Virgin Olive Oil DOP a blend including Galega, Cobrançosa, and Cordovil varieties.