| Nocellara del Belice | |
| Color: | green |
| Also Called: | Oliva Nocellara del Belice Castelvetrano |
| Origin: | Italy |
| Regions: | Sicily |
| Use: | Oil and table |
Nocellara del Belice is an olive cultivar from the Valle del Belice area of south-western Sicily. It is a dual-purpose olive, grown both for oil and for the table. It is used to make "Valle del Belìce" extra-virgin olive oil, which is pressed from a minimum of 70% Nocellara del Belice olives.[1] As a table olive it may be treated by various methods, one of which is named for the comune of Castelvetrano in the Valle del Belice; these may be marketed as Castelvetrano olives in the United States and elsewhere,[2] and are large, green olives with a mild, buttery flavor.[2] [3]
The Nocellara del Belice olive has two DOP protections: both Valle del Belìce DOP olive oil and Nocellara del Belice DOP table olives have protected status in the European Union.
Nocellara del Belice olives are grown primarily in Sicily,[4] but also in India, Pakistan and South Africa.[5]