Wooden Spoon with Arbequina Olives

There are more than 200 varieties of olives grown in Spain. The most common are Picual, Arbequina, Hojiblanca, and Cornicabra. Generally, the variety of oil gets its name from the type of olive it contains. The Arbequina olive produces a high-quality, very fruity oil, with a gentle green-apple flavor that's slightly bitter and somewhat sweet. It comes from the region of La Arbeca, in Lleida. It may be the variety that best lends itself to intensive cultivation. There are extensive Arbequina plantations in California.