Cailletier

Cailletier
Cailletier used in a salad
Olive (Olea europaea)
Color of the ripe fruit	Black
Also called	Niçoise
Origin	France
Notable regions	Alpes-Maritimes, Italian Riviera
Hazards	Olive fruit fly, Saissetia oleae, cold
Use	Oil and table
Oil content	High
Fertility	Self-fertile
Growth form	Erect
Leaf	Elliptic-lanceolate
Weight	Low
Shape	Ovoid
Symmetry	Symmetrical

The Cailletier, also known in English by the Italian name Taggiasca, is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in the Alpes-Maritimes region near Nice and the Riviera di Ponente, Italy. It is best known under the name Niçoise, which signifies its curing method, in which form it is an important ingredient in the salade niçoise. It can also be used for the production of oil. This cultivar is particularly susceptible to the olive fruit fly.

The Cailletier is particularly common in the Alpes-Maritimes region of southern France, where it is the main variety, and also in nearby Liguria in Italy. It can also be found as far away as Japan, Australia and the United States.

In Italy the cultivar is known under the name of Taggiasca, which derives from the town of Taggia. Locally it is known under a number of different synonyms, including Cayet or Cayon, Grassenc, Olivier de Grasse, Pendoulier and Pleureur. The name Niçoise is not a synonym, but the name of the olive after a particular processing (see below).

It is a cultivar of good strength and large size, with an erect growth form, and elliptic-lanceolate leaves of medium length and width. The olives are of low weight, ovoid shape and symmetrical. The stone has a rounded apex and base, with a rugose surface and a .

For use in oil production the olive is harvested in mid-November. Fruits for use as table olives, on the other hand, can be harvested up until May. The fully ripe olives have "a dark colour that ranges from black brownish-purple to brownish-black".

The Cailletier is a dual use cultivar, used both for the extraction of oil and as a table olive. In spite of the fact that the stone is relatively large, it gives a yield of oil (20–25%). The oil has a sweet delicate quality, and is appreciated by novice olive oil consumers. It has a taste of fresh almond and hazelnut. For a more bitter, strong taste, a harvest before the end of the year is preferable. In France the cultivar is used in three officially approved appellations: the "AOC Huile d'Olive de Nice", "AOC Olive de Nice" and "AOC Pâte d'Olive de Nice"; in Italy the quality of the Taggiasca cultivar is granted by Protected Designation of Origin - PDO regulations.