A genuine olive-oil giant — and proof the olive thrives far beyond Europe.
Tunisia is consistently among the largest olive-oil producers and exporters on earth, a fact that surprises people used to thinking of olives as a European story. Its groves are dominated by the small, drought-hardy Chemlali, centred on Sfax, which gives a mild, sweet, golden oil and bears generously in hot, dry country where other olives would fail.
For decades much of Tunisia’s oil crossed the Mediterranean to be blended and bottled under more famous flags. That is changing fast: Tunisia now exports excellent single-origin extra virgin under its own name, usually at honest prices. It is one of the best-value discoveries in olive oil today. The Tunisian olives we’ve covered so far are below.