Bidni

According to the "Maltese-English Dictionary",{{cite book |last=Aquilina |first=J. |date=1987 |title=Maltese–English Dictionary |location=Malta |publisher=Midsea Books Ltd. }} the word "Bidni" is derived from "badan", which means "corpulent", "robust", "to grow stout". Bidni ("żebbuġ", olive), is a "large olive tree producing very small olives". Therefore, the tree is called Bidni because it is "corpulent". This contradicts several online sources that suggest that the word Bidni originated from the rural hamlet of Bidnija,{{cite news |author= |title=2,000-year-old Trees still producing olives |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2011-08-16/news/2000-year-old-trees-still-producing-olives-297296/ |newspaper=The Malta Independent |access-date=14 May 2016 }} or that the word means "hunchback" in the Maltese language.{{cite magazine |author= |title=Olives grow again on Malta |url=http://www.arabnews.com/olives-grow-again-malta |magazine=Arab News |access-date=14 May 2016 }}{{cite magazine |author= |title= Mission to revive Malta's olive oil production |url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/mission-revive-maltas-olive-oil-production-115210217.html |magazine=Yahoo! News |access-date=14 May 2016 }}

In a landmark publication entitled, "Cultivation and Diseases of Fruit Trees in the Maltese Islands", John Borg (1922), Professor of Natural History, Superintendent of Agriculture, and founder of the Government's Experimental Farm at Għammieri, described the Bitni as follows:

File:Cultivation and Diseases of Fruit Trees in the Maltese Islands.PNG

{{Quote|text=The tree is a vigorous grower and of strong constitution. The leaves are broad and rather short, of a lively shining green colour on the upper surface. The fruit is very small, nearly elliptical, with a comparatively very small stone, and turns to a beautiful shining dark violet at maturity, which takes place towards the close of October or early in November. It is very rich in oil of excellent quality, but the fruit though very small is often pickled or salted and has a rich flavour free from bitterness. The fruit is produced in clusters, and the production is sometimes astonishing, the tree becoming literally black with fruit. The tree and its fruit are very resistant to disease, the fruit presents also the advantage that it is never attacked by the olive-fly Dacus Oleae and is therefore always allowed to ripen on the tree. This is a variety which seems to be best suited for large plantations, with a view to the production of oil. |author=John Borg}}

Decades later, the Bitni's disease resistant qualities still baffle scientists. Described by the Olive Oil Times as a "peculiar local variety",{{cite magazine |author=Squadrilli, L. |title=An Olive Grove in Malta |url=http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-making-and-milling/oliveyard-malta/37652 |publisher=Olive Oil Times |access-date=10 May 2016 }} the Bidni's high levels of polyphenols,{{cite journal |last1=Gatt |first1=L. |last2=Lia |first2=F. |last3=Zammit-Mangion |first3=M. |last4=Thorpe |first4=Simon J. |last5=Schembri-Wismayer |first5=P. |title=First Profile of Phenolic Compounds from Maltese Extra Virgin Olive Oils Using Liquid-Liquid Extraction and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry |journal=Journal of Oleo Science |date=2021 |volume=70 |issue=2 |pages=145–153 |doi=10.5650/jos.ess20130 |pmid=33456000 |s2cid=231634470 |url=https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jos/70/2/70_ess20130/_pdf/-char/en |access-date=23 July 2021|doi-access=free }} particularly oleuropein,{{cite news |author=Fenech, N. |title=Local olive oil 'in demand' abroad |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20051111/local/local-olive-oil-in-demand-abroad.72394 |newspaper=Times of Malta |access-date=10 May 2016 }} which is a natural antibiotic produced by the tree to protect its fruit and leaves, may be behind this remarkable characteristic. The Bitni's oil has been described as "spicy" and "peppery", a characteristic which differentiates it from other oils.{{cite magazine |author=Cassar, D. |title=Why do Maltese olives make some of the best olive oils? |url=https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/watch-why-do-maltese-olives-make-some-of-the-best-olive-oils/ |publisher=TVM |access-date=16 July 2019 }}{{cite magazine |author=Starnes, A. |title=From cheese to olive oil, Malta's foodie scene is on the rise |url=https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/visit-malta-olive-oil-trip-17471266 |publisher=Cambridgeshire News |access-date=22 January 2020 }} Once fully established, fruit is produced in abundance, up to 60 kilos per tree.{{cite book |last1=Farrugia Radon |first1=S. |title=Il-Biedja f'Malta |date=2016 |publisher=Best Print |isbn=978-99957-1-005-7}}

==Protection==

File:Old olive tree in Bidnija, Malta trunks.png

The antiquity of Malta's ancient Bidni olive trees has been confirmed through carbon dating. Although the exact dates have been contested, with some noting that the trees were established during the mid-late Medieval period,{{cite magazine |author= |title= Veteran trees in an historic landscape: The Bidnija olive grove, Malta |url= https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X21003060 |magazine=Journal of Archaeological Science |date=2021 |volume= 38 |page= 103094 |doi= 10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103094 |access-date=12 July 2021 }} others have argued that some of these olive trees date back to the 1st century A.D.{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2011-08-16/news/2000-year-old-trees-still-producing-olives-297296/ |title=2,000-year-old Trees still producing olives |publisher=The Malta Independent |access-date=July 12, 2021 }}{{cite news |author= |title=Race to save endemic olive tree intensifies |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160809/local/race-to-save-endemic-olive-tree-intensifies.621461 |newspaper=The Times of Malta |access-date=10 August 2016 }}{{cite book|last=Cassar|first=George|date=2015|chapter-url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/19252/1/What_they_ate_food_and_foodways_in_Mdina.pdf |title=What they ate: food and foodways in Mdina and beyond From Roman times to the Middle Ages|chapter=Roman Times (218 BC – 4th century AD)|publisher=Heland Project|pages=1–12|isbn=978-99957-886-3-6}}{{Dead link|date=May 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The Bidni olive trees which are located just below an area known as Ġebel Għawżara have been protected since 1933,{{cite magazine |title=List of Historical Trees Having an Antiquarian Importance |magazine=Government of Malta |access-date=2 July 2018 |url-status=dead |url=http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=11071&l=1%20 |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414191318/https://legislation.mt/eli/sl/445.2/eng/pdf }} and are also listed in UNESCO's Database of National Cultural Heritage Laws.{{cite magazine |author= |title=List of Historical Trees Having an Antiquarian Importance |url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/natlaws/media/pdf/malta/malta_orderantiquetrees_enorof |magazine=UNESCO |access-date=14 May 2016 }} In 2011, after recognising their historical and landscape value, and in recognition of the fact that "only 20 trees remain from 40 at the beginning of the 20th century",{{cite magazine |author= |title=Rural Development Programme for Malta 2007-2013 |url=https://eufunds.gov.mt/en/EU%20Funds%20Programmes/European%20Agricultural%20Fund/Documents/National%20Rural%20Development/Rural%20Development%20Programme%202007%20-%202013.pdf |publisher=Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs |date=2009 |access-date=10 May 2016 |archive-date=26 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126195656/https://eufunds.gov.mt/en/EU%20Funds%20Programmes/European%20Agricultural%20Fund/Documents/National%20Rural%20Development/Rural%20Development%20Programme%202007%20-%202013.pdf |url-status=dead }} local authorities declared this site as a Tree Protected Area,{{cite magazine |author= |title=Malta Environment and Planning Authority, 2011 |url=https://era.org.mt/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Iz-Zebbug_tal-Bidnija_limiti_tal-Mosta.pdf |publisher=The Government of Malta Gazette |date=2011 |access-date=3 July 2018 }} under the provisions of a regulation made in 2018.{{cite magazine |author= |title=Trees and Woodlands Protection Regulations, 2018 |url=https://era.org.mt/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/For-Public-Consultation-Trees-and-Woodlands-Protection-Regulations-2018-EN.pdf |publisher=The Government of Malta Gazette |date=2018 |access-date=12 July 2021}} In 2021, two local entities were entrusted with the maintenance and protection of one of the olive groves located in Bidnija.{{cite magazine |title=Roman-era olive grove in Bidnija to be protected by 2 entities |magazine=Newsbook |access-date=11 January 2021 |url-status=dead |url=https://newsbook.com.mt/en/roman-era-olive-grove-in-bidnija-to-be-protected-by-2-entities/ |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126002325/https://newsbook.com.mt/en/roman-era-olive-grove-in-bidnija-to-be-protected-by-2-entities/ }}{{cite magazine |title=Roman-era olive grove to be protected through collaboration between Ambjent Malta and Heritage Malta |magazine=The Malta Independent |access-date=11 January 2021 |url-status=dead |url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2021-01-07/local-news/Roman-era-olive-grove-to-be-protected-through-collaboration-between-Ambjent-Malta-and-Heritage-Malta-6736229959 |archive-date=13 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113013447/https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2021-01-07/local-news/Roman-era-olive-grove-to-be-protected-through-collaboration-between-Ambjent-Malta-and-Heritage-Malta-6736229959 }} These highly protected Bidni olive trees, with some measuring between five and eight metres in height, still bear fruit, and are often revered by visitors.{{cite magazine |author= |title=The White Olives of Malta |url=https://www.aramcoworld.com/CMSPages/GetAzureFile.aspx?path=~\aramcoworldsite\files\1d\1dcc4032-d05c-4330-80ff-7054c2165b87.pdf&hash=3b0721d316f75c2a7b252a8475253f60f976ab03c29011127ed52ef109b48f15 |magazine=Aramco World |date=July–August 2017 |access-date=3 July 2018 }}

Since the Government of Malta has recognised the olive tree as forming an integral part of the traditional landscape, heavy pruning, felling, and uprooting of olive trees, including that of the Bidni variety, is subject to a permit from the relevant authorities.{{cite web |url=https://era.org.mt/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CAP_549.pdf |title=Environment Protection Act (CAP 549) |publisher=The Environment and Resources Authority |access-date=January 21, 2019 }}

Although the Bidni olive has no PDO status, there are a number of initiatives, which include studies on its genetic composition,{{cite journal |last1=Calleja |first1=A|last2=Farrugia |first2=C |last3=Zammit-Mangion |first3=M |date=2015 |title=Genetic Analysis Using DNA Molecular Markers of the 'Malti' Olive Variety Found on the Maltese Islands |url=http://staff.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/238235/Poster24.pdf |publisher=University of Malta |access-date=14 May 2016}} to attain this certification. Apart from legally protecting its name, this status of authenticity is typically used by marketing professionals to gain a competitive advantage at both European and international markets.{{cite magazine |author= |title=Istrian EVOO Awaits PDO Status at EU Level |url=http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-business/europe/istrian-evoo-awaits-pdo-status-at-eu-level/51428 |publisher=Olive Oil Times }}

==Revival==

In January 2006, the Project for the Revival of the Indigenous Maltese Olive (PRIMO), was launched.{{cite news |author= |title=Olive tree project takes root |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20070518/local/olive-tree-project-takes-root.17517 |newspaper=Times of Malta |access-date=21 May 2016 }}{{cite magazine |author= |title=First 340 indigenous Maltese olive trees planted [Press Release No. 0724] |url=https://www.gov.mt/en/Government/DOI/Press%20Releases/Pages/2007/05/17/PR0724.aspx |publisher=Department of Information, Government of Malta |access-date=6 July 2018 }} Apart from reviving indigenous cultivars, such as the Bidni, one of the aims of this project was to substantially increase production levels in a bid to obtain the much coveted PDO status. As a direct result of PRIMO, some 30,000 Bidni olive trees were grafted and planted, thereby setting the necessary groundwork for the creation of a niche industry.{{cite magazine |author= |title=National Agricultural Policy for the Maltese Islands 2018–2028 |url=https://meae.gov.mt/en/Public_Consultations/MSDEC/Documents/National%20Agricultural%20Policy%20for%20the%20Maltese%20Islands%202018%20-%202028.pdf |location=Pieta`, Malta |publisher=Atriga Consulting Services Ltd. |access-date=2018-07-03 |archive-date=2022-03-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308144714/https://meae.gov.mt/en/Public_Consultations/MSDEC/Documents/National%20Agricultural%20Policy%20for%20the%20Maltese%20Islands%202018%20-%202028.pdf |url-status=dead }} The methodology behind this process consisted of several steps. After olive pips were collected from the ancient Bidni olive grove of Bidnija, these were then sowed at the Government of Malta's Experimental Farm in Għammieri and left to germinate for use as rootstock. Once the rootstocks were viable, cuttings were then taken from the millennia-old Bidni olive trees and carefully grafted to the rootstocks.{{cite magazine |author=Vella, S. S. |title=Sustainable Agricultural Management and Landscaping through Agroforestry and Permaculture. Case Study: Northern Malta |url=http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1446&context=master201019 |publisher=James Madison University |date=2010 |access-date=6 July 2018 }} Efforts to plant more Bidni olive trees are ongoing.{{cite news |author= |title=It's pure Maltese: olive oil from endemic trees |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/its-pure-maltese-olive-oil-from-endemic-trees.722140 |newspaper=Times of Malta |access-date=19 July 2019 }}

==Gastronomy==

File:Crushed Bidni olives in garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil.png

The Maltese use their olive oil quite generously. In 2012, they ranked 8th in the world in per capita olive oil consumption.{{cite magazine |author= |title=Greeks Still World's Top Olive Oil Guzzlers |url=http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-basics/greeks-leading-olive-oil-guzzlers/35304 |publisher=Olive Oil Times |access-date=14 May 2016 }} With olive oil processing equipment dating back to the Roman Empire, and possibly even before this period,{{cite journal |last1=Docter |first1=R. |last2=Vella |first2=N. |last3=Cutajar |first3=C |last4=Bonanno |first4=A |last5=Pace |first5=A |date=2012 |title=Rural Malta: first results of the joint Belgo-Maltese survey project |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/15492/OA%20-%20R.Docter%2c%20N.Vella%2c%20N.Cutajar%2c%20A.Bonanno%2c%20A.Pace%2c%202012.%20Rural%20Malta%20%27First%20Results%20of%20the%20Joint%20%20Belgo-Maltese%20Survey%20Project%27%20in%20BABESCH%2087%20107-149.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |journal=Babesch |volume=87 |pages=107–149 |doi=10.2143/BAB.87.0.2160694 |access-date=22 May 2016 |archive-date=27 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327101731/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/15492/OA%20-%20R.Docter%2c%20N.Vella%2c%20N.Cutajar%2c%20A.Bonanno%2c%20A.Pace%2c%202012.%20Rural%20Malta%20%27First%20Results%20of%20the%20Joint%20%20Belgo-Maltese%20Survey%20Project%27%20in%20BABESCH%2087%20107-149.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |url-status=dead }} the consumption of oil has since become an integral part of the Maltese diet. For instance, in 1804, French writer Louis de Boisgelin noted that, "a clove of garlic, or an onion, anchovies dipped in oil, and salted fish", was the "usual diet" of the Maltese.{{cite book|last1=de Boisgelin|first1=Louis|title=Ancient and Modern Malta|date=1804|publisher=G & J Robinson|location=London}}

Although the Bidni is mostly known for its superior oil, the small fruit can also be enjoyed as a table olive. One popular method is to crush Bidni olives in garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil, and then eat them with Maltese bread. Another method is to gently fry Bidni olives after preserving them in brine, and then serve them with seasonal herbs such as parsley or mint. The leaves of the Bidni tree have also been used to make tea which is believed to lower high blood pressure. This ancient remedy is "still used in rural communities in Malta".{{cite book|last1=Cremona|first1=M.|title=Cooking with Maltese Olive Oil – Maltese and Mediterranean Dishes|date=2002|publisher=Proximus PR|location=Malta}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Olives}}

Category:Olive cultivars

Category:Flora of Malta