| Salonenque | |
| Color: | Green |
| Also Called: | Plant de salon, Courniand, Suren, Varagen |
| Origin: | France |
| Regions: | Provence |
| Hazards: | Verticillium dahliae, Sooty moulds, Saissetia oleae |
| Use: | Oil and table |
| Oil Content: | High |
| Fertility: | Partially self-fertile |
| Growth: | Erect |
| Leaf: | Elliptic-lanceolate |
| Weight: | Medium/high |
| Shape: | Ovoid |
| Symmetry: | Slightly asymmetrical |
The Salonenque, carrying the name of Salon-de-Provence, is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in Provence. Though it is used for producing oil, and gives a good yield, it is valued primarily as a table olive. It is produced as a so-called cracked olive, which means that the fruit is cracked to speed up the curing process.
The Salonenque is particularly common in Provence, especially in the Bouches-du-Rhône. In the Vallée des Baux it makes up over 60% of planted trees (as of 2004).[1] It is also grown in South Australia, primarily in the area around Adelaide.[2]
The cultivar is also known locally under several other names, including Courgeole, Plant de Salon, Salonen, Sauren, Sauzen, Selounen and Varagen.[2]
It is a cultivar of weak vigour, with an erect growth form.[3] The leaves are short and narrow, with an elliptic-lanceolate form.[4] The olives are of medium-high weight, and of an ovoid quite symmetrical shape.[5] They are rounded both at the apex and the base.[3] The stone has a rugose, or wrinkled surface, with a rounded apex, a pointed base, and a mucro.[3]
For use as table olives, the fruit is harvested relatively early, around 10 September. For oil production the harvest is later, in early November.[6] When fully mature, the colour of the fruit is bright green.[6]
The primary use of the Salonenque is as a table olive, more specifically as cracked olives (olives that are slit during the curing for the process to go faster).[1] They cured olives are "fresh with a firm, meaty texture and a whiff of aromatic fennel".[7] It is also used for production of oil, and gives a high yield (22 - 25%).[6] The taste of the oil is sweet and delicate, and quite strong.[6] The olive is freestonethe stone does not cling to the flesh.[5] The Salonenque is used in several officially approved appellations: such as "AOC Vallée des Baux" and "AOC Pays d'Aix".[6]
Salonenque is considered a cultivar of high and constant production, but has a low rooting ability.[5] The Salonenque is partially self-fertile, but it can take advantage of nearby pollinators, among which are the Grossane and the Berruguette.[6]
It has a high level of resistance to the major pests, with the exception of grubs of the olive moth Prays oleae and of the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae.[8] It has a good resistance also to cold, and can sustain temperatures down to -15 °C,[6] but it is highly sensitive to wind.[9]