Tanche

The Tanche, probably the best known French olive cultivar, is grown primarily in the Drôme and Vaucluse regions of southern France. It is often referred to as a perle noire, the "Black Pearl of Provence". The Tanche is said to have been introduced to France by the Greeks of Massilia, around the fourth century BC.

Extent

The Tanche is grown mostly in Drôme and northern Vaucluse regions of southern France. Attempts to grow this variety outside of its native region are rarely successful.

Synonyms

Since the cultivar is largely local in scope, it also has few synonyms. The olives grown in the region around the town of Nyons are normally referred to as Olive de Nyons, or simply Nyons, and this is the name under which the olive is best known to the rest of the world. Another synonym, used in parts of Vaucluse, is Olive de Carpentras.

Characteristics

It is a cultivar of medium vigour, with a spreading growth form, elliptic leaves, an expansive global crown, and large size. The olives are of medium-to-high weight (5–6 g), elliptic in shape with a rounded tip and slightly asymmetrical. The stone is ovoid, rounded on both ends, with a rough surface and a mucro.

Tanche (family)

Tanche and Tank (other spellings are Tanch, Tanke, Tanck, and Tancke) is the name of one or more Dano-Norwegian families. One of those is originating from Haderslev.

There are several persons by the name Tanche and similar spellings in Denmark, Norway and Germany. The tradition says that a German by the name Tanche was ennobled by Charles IV of the Holy Roman Empire (reign: 1346–78). It is not known whether Martin Tanche, who was ennobled by the King of Denmark and Norway, belonged to the same families as the Norwegian families Tanche and Tank.

Tanche in Denmark

Martin Tanche

Martin Tanche, since 1638 having been one of King Christian IV's officials, was on 23 October 1643 confirmed as a member of the combined Danish and Norwegian nobility, and he received as well a coat of arms.

Martin Tanche was the Danish Resident in the Hague. He was among the noblemen who participated at the 1660 meeting of the estates (Danish: stændermøde) in Copenhagen. At the end of his life, Tanche was Chamber Councillor for the Prince-elector of Saxony.