The world of olive oil is a wonderful one, and you’ll appreciate that bottle in your pantry all the more when you learn about its rich history, its production process and its healthy and medicinal attributes. Some have referred to olive oil as “liquid gold.” Chefs around the world consider olive oil an indispensable staple that is used on a daily basis for not only cooking, but flavoring nearly any kind of food.
With a little creativity and some imagination, the possibilities using olive oil, without a doubt, are endless. At this point, you know that olive oil makes an excellent substitute for the many items you have in your pantry.
Labels can be confusing, so selecting olive oil can be challenging even for the professional. With so many labels (extra-virgin, virgin, light virgin, organic, first pressed, cold pressed, unfiltered, filtered, etc.), it can be nearly impossible to tell which oils really are what they claim to be. Also, don’t choose on color, as the color of an olive oil has no bearing on its quality or taste.
Good olive oil can be expensive. It isn’t cheap to produce a high-quality, extra virgin olive oil. Therefore, as a consumer, you should be wary if a gallon can/bottle claims to be extra virgin that is offered between $14.00 to $18.00 or even less. Bottles below that price are almost certain to be chemically extracted, and may not even be made from 100% olives. That’s a scary thought!
With that said, check out these two articles, one from UC Davis (by Paul Vossen) commenting about “adulterated” olive oil at http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/newsletterfiles/newsletter1351.htm and the other one is from the New Yorker Magazine article “Letter from Italy: Slippery Business…The trade in adulterated olive oil” by Tom Mueller, which documents the international trade in adulterated olive oil. You must read it (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/13/070813fa_fact_mueller). It’s a real eye opener for those of us who believe we are purchasing 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil and at our favorite “box” stores and/or specialty stores that we frequent. The California Olive Oil Council (COOC) is emphasizing its seal of certification for extra virgin olive oil, the highest quality of olive oil, for the benefit of all consumers.
As the originators of more than 98% of all the extra virgin olive oil produced domestically, California producers are competing against dozens of imported oils, many of which may be incorrectly labeled. As Mr. Mueller points out, “The American market, which is worth about one and a half billion dollars, is the largest outside of Europe, and is growing at a rate of ten per cent a year.”
Quoting from a laundry list of alleged criminal activities, the author notes that “in February, 2006, federal marshals seized about sixty-one thousand liters of what was supposedly extra virgin olive oil and twenty-six thousand liters of a lower-grade olive oil from a New Jersey warehouse. Some of the oil…consisted almost entirely of soybean oil…” Consumers pay premium prices for olive oils marked “extra virgin.”
To this point, the California Olive Oil Council petitioned the USDA in August 2004 in an effort to set standards for labeling grades of olive oil. The council is optimistic that the standards will be adopted by the end of the current year.
The California Olive Oil Council awards its seal each year to oils that pass its tests for “extra virgin.” Chemical testing in an independent laboratory as well as a sensory assessment by a rigorously trained Taste Panel determine whether or not an oil is truly extra virgin. Recently, the COOC has added a UVA chemical requirement, which is there to detect potentially adulterated oils. The final step for certification is to pass a blind tasting by the Panel; in its evaluation, the Panel is not only looking for defects that would disqualify the oil as extra virgin, but is also seeking positive attributes such as fruitiness, pungency and bitterness.
Did you know that there are over 400 + olive oil varietals that are produced for olive oil and/or for table olives. And, since there are so many varietals, they come in different sizes as well – some small such as a picolino or some large such as an ascalino or mission. ALSO, all olives will eventually turn black.
Olives are harvested usually after vineyards have been harvested. Olive harvesting can take place as early as October and as late as March. Our method of harvesting is the old Italian way – hand picked!
Translated from Italian as “Olive Mill,” this classic Tuscan variety produces a very flavorful, sharp oil.
Somewhat milder than Frantoio, this olive is rich, buttery and distinctively olive tasting – but delicate. A good early producer.
A medium-sized, typically Tuscan oil variety. It is of medium vigor with a pendulous habit, while the fruiting branches are delicate with rising tips.
Primarily used as a pollinator (approximately 10% required per orchard). These olives produce oil of good quality and quantity for blending.
We have our fruit picked by hand. It’s time consuming, but it’s the best way to keep the flavor of the olive intact. The method of mechanically beating trees that are known as super high density (SHD) can bruise the fruit and negatively affect the flavor of the oil. Over time, the trees will become weak through this method.
The extraction is meant to keep the flavor of the fruit intact. Harvested olives are immediately washed and crushed. The olives are crushed with the pits. The resulting paste is then cold pressed to extract the oils. It is this first and single press only that can be called 100% extra virgin. This is the real stuff and retains all the flavor and goodness of the original olives.
Since olive oil is perishable, and that light speeds up the process of aging, we suggest that you store your precious “liquid gold” as well as your “special balsamic vinegars” in your cupboard or pantry.
|
