Journey through History

Taste, touch, smell and see a journey of the senses through more than two thousand years of olive oil history

Over two thousand years ago, in the time of the Roman Empire, olive trees began to be cultivated in Bar and Ulcinj. From this time, people in this coastal region of Montenegro have produced some of the finest olive oils in the Mediterranean. More than 10,000 of these original ancient trees survive, many of which have been scientifically proven to predate Christ.

Today, more than 1,700 growers continue this tradition. Olives are pressed in one of 12 mills or in some cases in traditional family presses.

Olive oil is part of the very fabric of life in this region. It forms a key ingredient of the delicious local cuisine, and you can sample it in everything from refreshing salads to seafood and the mouth-wateringly moist local cakes.

The region boasts one of the world’s finest olive oils, made from the indigenous Zutica species or ‘yellow yield.’ So-called because of the oil’s beautiful golden colour, ‘yellow yield’ olive oil has an exquisite balance of fruitiness and piquancy. It is a balanced, harmonious oil, with notes of fresh grass. The majority of Montenegrin orchards are covered by the Zutica.

Olive oils from Bar and Ulcinj are considered to be therapeutic. As well as forming a life-giving ingredient of the local cuisine, therefore, local oils are used to produce a special array of soaps and cosmetics.

Wood from olive trees that no longer produce yields is lovingly handcrafted into objects that can be purchased as souvenirs.

So, prepare yourself for a voyage of discovery through over a thousand years of tastes, sensations and cultures.

Vedat Kunt

‘Of all the wonderful treasures of Montenegro, for me, the Old Olive Trees, which are so well preserved and so redolent of history, take first place. It was in 2012 that I first had the idea of precisely identifying fifty of these wonderful old trees’ ages through scientific study. The confirmation that many are over 1000 years old was thrilling. The beauty of these old trees must be seen to be believed, and it is wonderful to see visitors coming to this part of the world to learn about the rich history of these groves, to talk with the families who have cultivated them for generations and learn about their stories, to sample the delicious oils to be a part of the history!’

Vedat KuntInternational Marketing expert
Tunjay Guner

‘It was wonderful for us to work on the age identification of fifty Old Olive Trees in Montenegro. Both the field and laboratory work went very smoothly with the help of local olive growers, UDG and the project staff. We are very happy to have helped in highlighting the unique importance of these Montenegrin Old Olive Trees.’

Tunjay GunerIstanbul University, Faculty of Forestry

The precise age of the regions famous olive trees has been determined through scientific research, supported by the European Union and UNIDO.

Using sophisticated Dendrochronology techniques and mathematical regression models, scientists from the Wood Anatomy and Tree Ring Research Laboratory of the University of Istanbul’s Faculty of Forestry identified the exact ages of 50 olive trees from Bar and Ulcinj.

The tree samples were glued and sanded into wooden holders, and two methods were used to determine their ages:

    • The first method estimated the number of lost rings to the pith (N) using the equation N = (R-L)/G
    • The second method predicted the number of rings (ie years) for the maximum radius of the olive tree by relating the number of rings and their cumulative width for each of the samples through simple linear regressions.