| Lucques | |
|---|---|
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| Lucques olives ripening on the tree | |
| Colour of the ripe fruit: | Green |
| Also called: | Lucquoise, Olivier Odorant, Oliverolle |
| Origin: | France |
| Notable regions: | Languedoc |
| Hazards: | Olive fruit fly, sooty mold, Verticillium dahliae etc. |
| Use: | Oil and table |
| Oil content: | Medium |
| Fertility: | Self sterile |
| Growth form: | Spreading |
| Leaf: | Elliptic-lanceolate |
| Weight: | Medium |
| Shape: | Elongated |
| Symmetry: | Asymmetrical |
The Lucques is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in Languedoc in France. It is primarily used as a green table olive, and many consider it the best of all.[1][2] It can also produce high quality oil, but this is hard to extract. Though vulnerable to certain pests, it is relatively resistant to cold and drought.
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The Lucques owes its French name to the tradition that it originated in the Italian province of Lucca (Lucques in French); today it is primarily associated with southern France, particularly in Languedoc's,[3] Roussillon and Hérault regions.[1] It can also be found in Northern Africa, Turkey, the United States and Australia.[4]
Locally, this cultivar is known under a number of different names, including Lucquoise or Luquoise, Oliva Lucchese, Oliverolle, Olivier de Lucques, Olivier Odorant and Plant du Languedoc.[4]
It is a cultivar of good strength, with a spreading growth form in a shape described as "a vase or a parasol".[1] The leaves are elliptic-lanceolate, with a medium length and width.[5] The olives are of medium to high weight, with an average commercial caliber of 20 to 24 fruits/hecto.[1] They have an elongated, asymmetrical shape, with a pointed apex and a truncated base.[6] The stone is pointed at both ends, with few groves and no mucro.[7]
Though the fruit comes into bearing early, its ripening is late.[5] Picking is at the end of October or beginning of November, while the skin is a light green. It matures in December, and when fully mature the colour of the fruit is green.[1]
The Lucques is primarily used as a green table olive, and the fruit tastes meaty and sweet.[2] Some compare it to fresh almonds and avocados.[1] It is a highly valued olive among gourmets.[1] It can also be used for oil, and the oil it produces is of excellent quality, but it is difficult to extract.[5] It gives a medium oil yield, of about 17%.[1] The smell of the oil has alternately been described as "almond", "green apple", and "tomato".[8] The taste is sweet; to some excessively so.[3]
It is considered a productive cultivar, but depends on good quality soil and regular irrigation to give a high yield.[5][1] The cultivar is self-sterile, so it depends on other pollinators.[8] It is vulnerable to certain pests, including the olive fruit fly, sooty mold and Verticillium dahliae.[9] On the other hand, it has a moderately good tolerance to cold and drought.[5]
  | Luques - Santa Cruz Olive Tree Nursery - luques |
| | Lucques Olives - Lucques Olives - David Lebovitz |
| | More about Lucques olives - BienManger.com - French gourmet products |
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