Lentisk oil or Lentischio (Pistacia Lentiscus)

From Nature a gift of beauty and health

Preparation:

The harvest The Lentisk (Pistacia Lentiscus) harvest takes place in late autumn, when the berries are very ripe. For the collection, take a branch of lentisk in your hands and rub it, being careful not to ruin the shrub and making sure that the berries fall into the basket. The next operation consists in cleaning the Lentisk, removing the residues of leaves and twigs; after which the berries are left to rest for a few days in large bags. In this way they heat up and this contributes to improving the quality of the final product. HOT OIL EXTRACTION After this period, the Lentisco is placed in a cauldron full of water and boiled for about 60 minutes. Then it is collected with the skimmer and passed to the press (in ancient times, once drained, it was put in linen bags, the bags were closed by spinning the bag two or three times around itself and then proceeded to squeezing. , the full bags were placed in a concave container and were crushed with the feet). The extract obtained from the pressing is poured into a cauldron and put back on a low flame; the pot must be placed slightly inclined to facilitate the collection of oil. At this stage of processing, care must be taken to avoid dangerous overturning of the boiling liquid. The extract is then foamed to remove the impurities that come to the surface. As the oil surfaces on the surface is gently picked up with spoons and ladles. The product is then poured, bottled, and stored in a cool and dark place. In ancient times, since it was not easy to stock up on olive oil, Lentisco oil was used as food oil. With "l'ociu listincu" the fritters were fried and the minestrone of pasta and vegetables was seasoned. COLD OIL EXTRACTION After harvesting, the Lentisco is cleaned of residues of leaves and twigs and left to rest for a few days inside the bags. Subsequently it is ground with a machine that we have modified; the obtained pulp is pressed and the oil obtained passes through several passages of filtering. A high quality pure oil is obtained which is left to decant for a while in special demijohns, before being stored in the appropriate oil containers. As previously specified, part of the oil is intended for use in our kitchens, part is sold as edible oil and part given to a specialized laboratory for the production of natural cosmetics in the name and on our behalf.

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