Buža Olives
L’olive à huile native d’Istrie — verte, amère et poivrée, riche en polyphénols.
The Buža is a native oil olive of Istria, the peninsula shared by Croatia, Slovenia and a sliver of Italy at the head of the Adriatic. Hardy and productive, it gives a green, intense, bitter and peppery oil rich in polyphenols — and it is a big reason Istrian olive oil now regularly ranks among the very best in the world’s guides.
- Origin
- Istria · Croatia
- Type
- Oil olive
- Colour
- Green to black
- Flavour (oil)
- Green, bitter, peppery
- Polyphenols
- High — very stable
- Reputation
- World-ranked Istrian oils
- Best for
- Robust, premium finishing oil
The pride of Istria
Istria has quietly become one of the world’s great olive-oil regions — small in volume, extraordinary in quality — and the native Buža is at the heart of it. Its oil is green, aromatic and bracingly bitter-peppery, with the high polyphenol content that means both health interest and long life. Istrian producers win top international honours year after year, often with Buža in the blend.
Istrian oil is rarely cheap — tiny production and world-class quality see to that — but it is rarely disappointing. The peppery sting of a fresh Buža is the good stuff announcing itself. Look for a named Istrian producer and a recent harvest.