🫒 Maurino

Maurino is an Italian oil cultivar found mainly in Tuscany and the neighbouring regions of central Italy; according to the IOC catalogue its genetic origin is unknown, and its synonyms include Maurino Lucchese, Maschio and Laurino. The tree starts bearing early and gives high, consistent yields, and Maurino oil is mild, without sharp bitterness.

The tree is low and spreading and is easily propagated from cuttings (about 60% take root). It comes into bearing early and gives high, consistent yields: a cumulative total of about 57 kg of fruit by the fifth year. That is why the IOC catalogue recommends Maurino for intensive and super-high-density orchards. The fruits start to darken early, and oil also builds up in them early. The cultivar suffers little from olive knot and olive leaf spot.

Maurino is not self-pollinating, but it flowers over a long period and is itself a well-known pollinator: an IOC overview lists it among the pollinators of Leccino, Moraiolo and Canino.

The fruits contain little oil, roughly 13–16%. The oil has about 68–70% oleic acid and a medium-to-low phenol content, so it turns out mild. Maurino is on the list of 18 cultivars of the protected designation Istra (Croatia and Slovenia), which together have to provide at least 80% of the oil, and among the cultivars of the Slovenian oil Slovenske Istre, alongside Istrska Belica, Leccino, Buga, Črnica, Frantoio and Pendolino.

Why it matters to you. Maurino oil is mild, without sharp bitterness, so it will suit anyone who dislikes pungent oils. On bottles of Istra and Slovenske Istre oil, Maurino may be named among the cultivars of the blend.