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D.O. Products
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D.O. products are usually agricultural food products that come from a specific geographical area and and owe their outstanding attributes to the region and/or a special human characteristic (expert farming, artesanal production). What's special about this indicator is that it guarantees that the product was grown or created in the region whose name it carries. Catalunya has a number of D.O. products which are known throughout Spain for their quality.

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Reus Hazelnuts (Avellana de Reus): Hazelnuts are a staple in the Catalan diet. It's common to find them in Catalan recipes, and they are often served as a snack before lunch or for the merienda. Reus hazelnuts are available in three forms: with shell, without shell and toasted. The varieties that are grown in the D.O. region are Pauetet, Gironella, Morella, Cuplana and Negreta, the latter being the most common.

The areas that grow the famous Reus hazelnut are the Comarques Baix Camp, l´Alt Camp, Tarragonés, Priorat, Conca del Barbera and Terra Alta, and commercialization takes place in the city of Reus. The marketing of these nuts has been regulated by the "lonja" of Barcelona since the 18th century, though D.O. was first recognized in 1997.

Garrigues Olive Oil (Aceite de oliva les Garrigues): This type of olive oil is available in two varieties: "afrutado" (fruity), a green full-bodied oil with a slightly bitter taste harvested earlier in the year, and "dulce" (sweet), harvested later, which has a milder flavor. Garrigues is produced with two types of olives: Arberquina and Verdiell, which are harvested by hand in the traditional fashion.


aceitesiurana.jpgSiurana Olive Oil (Aceite de oliva Siurana): Siurana, like Garrigues, is made with hand-harvested olives of the Aberquina (90%), Morrut and Royal varieties. Siurana olive oil is native to the comarques of Priorat, Tarragonés, Ribera de l´Ebre, l´Alt Camp, Baix Camp, el Baix Penedés and Conca de Barbera.

Depending on the season in which the olive is harvested, the resulting oil can be fruity, green and thick, or sweet, with a yellow color and more liquid in consistency.