The event, organized by Els Magazinos and Cervezas Turia, featured Vicent Todolí, a renowned art expert and citrus grower, who has restored olive trees on a terraced field in Penya Foradada in the Vall de Gallinera. Todolí, who has directed museums such as the Tate Modern in London, emphasized the connection of olive oil to the land and the ancient tradition of olive cultivation.
“"Wherever I go, I carry my olive oil. It expresses the connection to the land and the millennial tradition of olive trees. Moreover, it represents balance and delicacy."
After two years without production due to the fire that devastated the Vall d'Ebo, Todolí has resumed harvesting olives and producing his oil, named Tot Oli. He highlighted that cultivated fields act as natural firebreaks and that agricultural abandonment creates a 'wound' through which predatory urbanism enters.
Chef Diana Cervera offered a tasting of dishes that evoke the historical landscape of the Marina Alta, from Roman almadrabas to Andalusian cuisine. Among the proposals were a 'semi-salted bonito with almond nougat' and an olive oil and salt flatbread with sobrasada and honey, recalling the Mallorcan repopulation. The fair also saw the participation of producers such as Tossut Agroecologia Sostenible from Pedreguer, Castell de la Costurera from Balones, Alfaoliva from Alfafara, Oli de Bèrnia from Benissa, La Masia de la Mota from Alcoi, Señoríos de Relleu from Relleu, and Oleum Auri from Beas del Segura (Jaén).
Ethnolinguist Roser Cabrera, author of the book Del bancal al setrill. Estudi etnolingüístic de l'olivera i l'oli, emphasized the socializing power of olive oil and called for the cultivation of olive trees to 'spread like an oil stain,' a wish shared by all attendees. Historian Javier Calvo complemented the day with a journey through art history with the olive tree as a leitmotif.
