acres in California are planted on Arbequina rootstock. Gastronomy Although sold as a table olive as well, Arbequina olives have one of the highest concentrations of oil, and are therefore mostly used for olive oil production. Harvesting is easy since the trees are typically low to the ground and allow for easy hand picking. Oils made from Arbequina are generally buttery, fruity, and very mild in flavor, being low in polyphenols. The combination of low polyphenol levels and high levels of polyunsaturated fat as compared with other olive cultivars means that it has relatively low stability and short shelf-life. Cross breeding Hybridization using the Arbequina and Picual (Rallo et al 2008) resulted in the newer Chiquitota variety. See also List of olive cultivars References External links Olive cultivars