Tonda Iblea
The reference Sicilian variety for the tomato-leaf aroma type, and the one with the highest pulp-to-stone ratio in this whole set — about 88% flesh. That makes a superb table olive and, inconveniently, a poor oil yield for the size of the fruit.
In the grove
Tonda Iblea is native to the Hyblaean uplands of south-eastern Sicily, concentrated in Ragusa and Siracusa. Mean drupe weight is 5.64 grams at a pulp-to-stone ratio of 5.1 — roughly 88% flesh. It is practically self-sterile, with Calatina, Moresca and Zaituna used as pollinators, reported as cold-tolerant, and susceptible to scale, Verticillium, anthracnose and peacock spot. It is also prone to acinellatura, the clustering of undersized fruit in some seasons.
Its tomato character is famous and repeatedly documented in catalogues and trade-technical sources, which give a medium-intense fruitiness with medium bitterness and medium-intense pungency over green tomato and tomato leaf. We should be straight about the limit of that evidence: we could not find a peer-reviewed volatile study isolating the compounds responsible in this specific cultivar.
Compared with the other reference cultivars
| Cultivar | Origin | Typical polyphenols | Sensory profile | Best pairing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonda Iblea | Sicily, Italy | ~285 mg/kg mean | Unmistakable green tomato, medium bitterness, medium-intense pungency | Tomato and bread, ricotta, raw over pasta |
| Picual | Jaén, Spain | 300–700 mg/kg | Intensely green, clean bitterness, late-building pungency | Tomato salad, grilled vegetables, bread and salt |
| Coratina | Puglia, Italy | 330–410 mg/kg | Powerfully green and herbaceous, strong bitterness and pungency | Bean soups, grilled meat, bitter greens |
| Koroneiki | Messinia, Greece | Around the Greek mean; Cretan surveys 138–441 mg/kg | Green and aromatic, balanced bitterness and pungency | Greek salad, feta, grilled fish, horta |
| Arbequina | Lleida, Spain | 200–230 mg/kg | Soft, sweet entry, barely bitter, light pungency | Fish, salads, baking, mayonnaise |
| Frantoio | Tuscany, Italy | ~230 mg/kg | Aromatic and grassy, bright green, firmly pungent when early | Ribollita, grilled bread, white beans |
| Leccino | Tuscany, Italy | ~150 mg/kg | Mild and soft, light spice, low bitterness | Fish, delicate vegetables, blending with Frantoio |
| Moraiolo | Umbria, Italy | ~270 mg/kg | Intense and structured, pronounced bitterness and pungency | Legume soups, grilled meat, bruschetta |
Polyphenol figures are the ranges published for each variety, not measurements of any bottle in the library. A single oil's figure depends on when it was picked and how it was milled, and is shown on that oil's own page where the producer states one.