🫒 Konservolia
Also known as: Conservolea, Amfissis, Voliotiki, Agriniou, Artas, Stylidos, Piliou, Mylolia
A Greek cultivar from Central Greece for table olives and oil; it once filled 70% of the country's table-olive groves, now about 30%.
Konservolia is a Greek dual-purpose olive cultivar: it is used for table olives and for oil. In the International Olive Council (IOC) catalogue it is listed as Amfissis, after the town of Amfissa in Central Greece. It goes by many local names: Voliotiki, Agriniou, Artas, Stylidos, Piliou and Mylolia.
Most Konservolia grows in Central Greece — in Phthiotis, Phocis, Euboea, Boeotia and Aetolia-Acarnania — and also in Magnesia, Larissa and Epirus; lately it has been planted in Macedonia too. The cultivar once accounted for 70% of the country's table-olive groves; by 2022 figures it covered about 30% of their area.
The fruit is very large, moderately elongated and black when fully ripe. The firm flesh does not bruise in transport, and the stone comes away easily. Konservolia is made into green olives, “blondes” that have only just begun to darken, and natural black olives. The oil content is medium, but the oil is good: in a study of 31 samples of Greek oil from this cultivar, oleic acid averaged 75.4%. Yields are high, though they alternate from year to year.
The cultivar grows from the coast up to 500–600 metres, provided at least 500 mm of rain falls a year. It tolerates drought and cold but dislikes salinity. Olive knot is no threat to it, whereas verticillium wilt and the olive fly do damage.
Why it matters to you. Six EU protected names for table olives include the cultivar: five PDOs (“Konservolia Amfissis”, “Atalantis”, “Rovion”, “Stylidas”, “Piliou Volou”) and the PGI “Konservolia Artas”. What the EU protects is the cultivar together with the place, so “Konservolia” on its own, without a place name and the EU logo, names only the cultivar, not the origin. “Konservolia Rovion” olives from Euboea are picked from early September, earlier than any others in Greece.
Facts
| Country | Greece |
|---|---|
| Region | Central Greece (Phthiotis, Phocis, Euboea, Boeotia), Magnesia, Larissa, Epirus 1 |
| Main use | Table olives and oil 1 |
| Fruit size | Very large; 4–12 g (PGI “Konservolia Artas”) 4 |
| Yield | High, with alternate bearing 1 |
| Hardiness | Resistant to olive knot, drought and cold; susceptible to verticillium wilt and the olive fly 1 |
How it connects to Olives
🫒 Konservolia → used for → 🫒 Olive oil → made from → 🫒 Olives
Links
- What it contains
- 🧪 Oleic acid
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 Greeks
- Part of
- 🫒 Olive cultivars
- Similar and different
- 🫒 Chalkidiki (olive)
- Where it grows
- 📍 Central Greece and Attica, 📜 Evia
- Where it is the main cultivar
- 📜 Konservolia Amfissis (table olives)
- Which olives are made
- 🫒 Table olives, 🫒 Greek-style black olives
- What is made from it
- 🫒 Olive oil
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that Konservolia is only a table-olive cultivar?
No. The IOC catalogue lists it for both oil and table olives; its oil averaged 75.4% oleic acid in a 2021 study.
Why is Konservolia also called Amfissis?
After the town of Amfissa in Central Greece; that is the name the IOC catalogue uses.
Where does Konservolia grow, and how has its share changed?
Mostly in Central Greece, also in Magnesia, Larissa and Epirus. It once made up 70% of the country's table-olive groves and by 2022 figures about 30%.
How big is Konservolia fruit?
The fruit is very large and moderately elongated, black when fully ripe; 4–12 g under the “Konservolia Artas” specification and 7 g on average for “Konservolia Stylidas”.
What do the six protected names have in common?
All six, five PDOs and one PGI, pair the cultivar Konservolia with a place.
What to read next
- 📜 Konservolia Amfissis (table olives) — An EU protected designation for table olives of the Konservolia variety from the Amfissa valley; they ferment in brine for at least 4 months.
- 🫒 Greek-style black olives — Nearly ripe olives fermented for 6–9 months in brine with 8–10% salt, without lye.
- 📍 Central Greece and Attica — Central Greece with Attica, Boeotia and Euboea; about 21 thousand ha, 28 % of the country's vineyards; the heartland of Savatiano and retsina.
- 🫒 Olive oil — Oil pressed from the fruit of the olive tree.
- 🫒 Chalkidiki (olive) — A Greek cultivar from northern Greece with very large fruit; about 27% of Greek table-olive groves and the basis of the PDO “Prasines Elies Chalkidikis”.
Similar
🫒 Kalamon · 🫒 Chalkidiki (olive) · 🫒 Tsounati · 🫒 Koroneiki · 🫒 Carolea · 🫒 Baladi
Sources
- International Olive Council, World Catalogue of Olive Varieties: Amfissis (Konservolia)
- EUR-Lex: «Konservolia Rovion» PDO — amendment application and single document, OJ C 228, 7.8.2013
- EUR-Lex: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1122/2013 — «Konservolia Stylidas» PDO
- EUR-Lex: «Konservolia Artas» PGI — amended single document, OJ C, C/2024/599
- Revelou P.-K. et al. Chemometric Study of Fatty Acid Composition of Virgin Olive Oil from Four Widespread Greek Cultivars. Molecules 2021, 26, 4151