Baena is located in the region of Andalusia that accounts for some 75% of Spain’s production of olive oil. No wonder that high-quality olive oil has been the mainstay of the local economy since the 19th century. Baena is famous for olive cultivation and manufacture of olive oil of excellent quality with an appellation of origin.
Baena is home to the municipal Olive and Olive Museum that opened in 1993. Housed in an old two-story mill, it has an exhibition area of more than 800 square meters. The museum aims to present the most important aspects of the olive culture. It hosts an exhibition dedicated to the diverse uses of olive oil, various educational activities and temporary exhibitions, a library, and an archive.
Along with the museum, Baena is known for hosting the Olive and Olive Oil Festival that has been held every year since 1997. The festival is a three-day event celebrating the end of the olive harvest. Its program includes a wine and food market where you can buy various kinds of olives and olive oil, cooking demonstrations, workshops, exhibitions, concerts, culinary contests, live music, dancing, and more.
One of the main highlights of the Buena Olive and Olive Oil festival is the traditional tapas crawl. Tapas (plural for “tapa”) are traditional Spanish appetizers, or snacks. It is rare to see a tapas selection not to include one or more types of olives. Besides, many kinds of tapas are cooked with olive oil. For the tapas crawl, local and guest chefs offer an impressive selection of olive-based tapas served at the town’s cafes, bars and restaurants, and festival goers try to taste as many as they can.
