3330, 3349, 3373 SLOVENIA (Slovene Littoral) - The olive harvesting and manufacture of extra virgin olive oil in Piran

3330 The olive harvesting (1)

Posted on 03.01.2020, 11.01.2020, 19.01.2020
Native to the Mediterranean Basin, the olive tree is one of the oldest and more important domesticated crops raised by humans, and it seems that the olives were turned into oil since 6000 BC. Even today, after thousands of years, the olive oil is an important cooking oil in countries surrounding the Mediterranean, and it forms one of the three staple food plants of Mediterranean cuisine, along with wheat and the grape.

3349 The olive harvesting (2)

A blend of sun and sea breeze, along with the microclimate of the salt pans add a distinctly bitter and spicy flavour to the olives grown in Istria Peninsula, in the area between the Adriatic Sea and the Karst Rim, therefore also in Piran. As a result, the extra virgin olive oil from Slovenian Istria has a protected indication of origin, and the region was proclaimed the best olive oil region in the world in 2016 and 2017. The olive harvesting season extends from October to November. Carefully picked olives make their way to torklje, a special oil press from which oil flows.

3373 Manufacture by cold pressing, in the manual torklja press,
of extra virgin olive oil

 

About the stamp
On the postcard 3330

The stamp is the participation of Slovenia to the 2017's issue of the EUROMED Postal Joint stamps project, Trees in the Mediterranean, designed by Robert Žvokelj and issued on July 10, 2017. Established in March 2011 with its headquarters in Malta, the Postal Union for the Mediterranean (PUMed) forms part of the Universal Postal Union, and marks the Mediterranean region as a political, economic and social area. The EuroMed Postal Joint stamp project is a commitment which is intended to be held annually. The intention behind this idea was to keep on a similar project of the Europa Stamp, wherein a theme will be chosen and all member countries will submit their design. Each member will then be free to issue the design prepared by it.  This for the exception of the first stamp issued in 2014, where all members were obliged to have the same design.  

On the postcard 3349
The stamp is one of the series Tourism and Gastronomy, dedicated to Goriška Brda, designed by Edi Berk & Tomo Jeseničnik and issued on March 25, 2016.

On the postcard 3373

The stamp is part of a very large series (32 stamps), Official Issue of Personalised Postage Stamps, issued on November 28, 2014. 
• Flowers (1) (A) - It's on the postcard 3373
• Flowers (1) (A) - It's on the postcard 3414

Sender 3330, 3349, 3373: Slavica Radej (direct swap)
Sent from Brestanica (Styria / Slovenia), on 29.08.2017
Photo: Ubald Trnkoczy / Zaloznik: Katika Vukovic