🫒 Konservolia

Konservolia is a Greek olive variety that gives both table olives and oil. In the International Olive Council catalogue it is listed as Amfissis, after the town of Amfissa in Central Greece. The variety has many local names, such as Voliotiki, Agriniou, Artas, Stylidos and Piliou: almost every area calls it something different.

Most Konservolia grows in Central Greece, in Phthiotis, Phocis, Euboea, Boeotia and Aetolia-Acarnania, and also in Magnesia, Larissa and Epirus. It once accounted for seventy per cent of the country's table olive land. Other varieties have spread since then, and its share is now about thirty per cent.

The fruit is very large, moderately elongated and black when ripe. The flesh is firm, so the olives do not bruise in transport, and the stone comes away easily. They are made into green olives, natural black olives and olives that have only just started to darken. Part of the crop goes to oil: the fruit holds a medium amount of it, but the oil is good.

The variety grows from the coast up to 500–600 metres, as long as at least 500 millimetres of rain falls in a year. It tolerates drought and cold but does not like salty water. Olive knot is no threat to it, but verticillium wilt and the olive fly do harm it.