the glossary of taggiasca.com

taggiasca.com
glossary

This concise glossary has the goal to facilitate the communication between growers and millers, with their particular slang, and the public, is as far as the Italian terms of little common use that the local terms.

Moreover many of these words belongs to an ancient oral tradition that need to be safeguarded before it despares.

Local terms are indicated in red.

Unit of measure of the olives

denomination	equivalence in "quarte"	capacity	notes
cuppellu	1/4 of quarta	5 liters 1.32 US Gal.	obsolete term
quarta	base unit	20 liters 5.28 US Gal.	approximately 10-12 kg of olives - still in use
sacco (sack)	5 quarte	100 liters 26.42 US Gal.
sumà	2 sacchi 10 quarte	200 liters 52.83 US Gal.	quantitative of olives that anciently could carry a pack-animal - still in use
pilà	5 sacchi 25 quarte	500 liters 132 US Gal.	quantitative of olives necessary to fill up the pilla

A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

B

béga

the larva of Dacus Oleæ (olive fly)

C

cavàgnu

basket made by chestnut wood interlaced strips used for the harvesting of olives

D

Dacus Oleæ

scientific name of the olive fly, parasite laying eggs in the olives causing the birth of beghe

drupa

the type of fruit of the olive tree

G

gumbaiô

miller

gumbo

mill

I

invaiatura

the change of color of a fruit during the maturation

M

mìgnole

flowers of the olive tree

P

paàne

mìgnole

pendàne

young branches (1 or 2 years) of the olive tree, hanging from the older and solid branches

pìlla

whole of grinder and container, anciently all in "colombina" stone, where olives are milled

R

rapata, oliva

olive that has suffered the cold and therefore has assumed a wrinkled aspect

rebrundà

(verb) to prune the olive tree

S

sbatte

(verb) to beat down

sbattute, olive

olives harvested beating down them

seggia

special large bucket used in the mill for the oil working

spurtin

container of hemp rope or esparto that, filled up of paste of milled olives, is pressed to extract the oil

T

tènde

burlaps of linen or rough cotton used before the advent of plastic nets; they were spread under the tree to beat down to avoid the fruit to fall on the ground

trappa

stick of chestnut wood, light and resistant, from 2.50 to 3.50 meters long, used for the beating down

trapparello

(diminutive of trappa) stick of chestnut wood, light and resistant, from 1.70 to 2.20 meters long, used for the beating down

truncajà

(verb) to prune the olive trees

Main page

Growers

Site map