Everyone has staples in their kitchen, things that are a must have for everyday use such as flour, sugar, milk and salt. Most people also have certain items that may not be found in every kitchen on the block but always in theirs. That one thing they just cannot fathom being out of. For me that product is olive oil. I love olive oil. I use it most every day and get a sort of panicky feeling when I am low. Throw out all of the other oil in my house because olive oil is all I need.
Because I am in love with this product, I decided to do a little research about it. As hard as I tried, I could not come up with one bad article, comment, or health issue on olive oil. It is as great as I knew it was and I can gush about it as much as I want. For instance, the olive branch has always been known to symbolize friendship and peace among nations. The winners of ancient Olympic games were crowned with olive branches. Olive oil is a basic food in the Mediterranean diet and evidence shows that women in Mediterranean countries have less occurrence of breast cancer than women in the United States. Olive oil contains between 60 and 80 percent of monounsaturated fats, which help to reduce “bad cholesterol” and preserve “good cholesterol”. It contains vitamins A, D, K and E and reduces the risk of heart diseases and some types of cancer. Olive oil helps maintain a low blood pressure and alleviate arthritis, is an antioxidant, helps the cardiovascular flow and delays the cell aging process. It also aids digestion and helps the body to absorb calcium.
Olive oil is a natural product and the oil is a juice obtained from olives in perfect ripe conditions from a healthy olive tree. An olive tree starts to produce between the ages of 5 and 10 and its production won’t decline until after it is 100 years old. It takes between 4 to 5 kilos of olives to produce one litre of olive oil. The traditional way to make olive oil is to first wash the olives and clean out all the stems, twigs, rocks and leaves. The olives are then ground in stone mills, which consist of stone rollers that roll in circles on a slab of granite to grind the olives into a paste. The pulp is then spread on mats that are stacked one upon the other and pressed down with weights. The resulting residue is then collected and put into tanks where the oil separates from the rest by gravity and collected off the top. There are other more modern production methods used today, but this is the method used for oils labeled “cold pressed”. The pressure from the weights is relatively low, so heat does not build up in the pulp. Heat allows more oil to be extracted but also results in an inferior flavor, so cold-pressed oils are more superior in quality.
There are three major types of olive oil. Each one is graded by its level of acidity and other organoleptic characteristics (sensations your sense organs can detect such as smell and taste). The degree of acidity is the quantity of fatty acids expressed as oleic acid which is the result of a combination of factors such as climate, type of soil, care taken during the production process and how the olives are stored. The less acidity it has, the less alteration in its composition it has and the better quality it will be. However, the degree of acidity of an oil is not related to the flavor. In commercial production, experts get together to evaluate the oils aroma and taste and grade it on a scale of 1 to 9 according to its virtues or defects. Although olive oil comes in many colors from pale yellow to dark green, the color does not reflect the quality. Therefore the experts taste the oil using dark blue glasses so they are not influenced by the color.
The three types of olive oil are classified as extra-virgin olive oil, with only 1 percent maximum acidity. This is the finest oil. Fine virgin olive oil has a maximum acidity of 1.5 percent and virgin olive oil can have as much as 3 percent. There is also a pure olive oil that also has a maximum acidity of 3 percent, but it is made from a blend of different grades of oil. Although the quality relates to the acidity of the oil, the best judge to us is how it tastes. There are many different flavors to be found in olive oil such as bitter, mild, sweet, fruity, grassy, almondy, apple, ripe fruit, and green leaves. The finest oils will be light and fruity.
Olive oil is produced in most of the countries near the Mediterranean but there are four major producers. Italian olive oils from Tuscany and Umbria are the finest and there is rigorous quality control to maintain good production methods. After Italy, Spain is the world’s largest olive oil producer. An internal body that has established a quality control called “label of origin” governs the Spanish olive oil industry. Greece is the third largest producer of olive oil and the annual olive oil consumption is said to be around 24 quarts per person, which makes them first in worldwide per capita consumption. However, the quality varies because of less strict controls over production. Last but not least is France. French olive oil production is low but very high in quality with most oil producing groves in the South.
Olive oil can be used in cooking the same way as other oils or fats. In fact, in most Mediterranean countries it is vital to the cuisine and used as much as a seasoning as a cooking ingredient. Spread on meat in a barbecue; it helps to preserve the natural juices. Olive oil is much tastier than other oils and can help aromatic herbs and spices to blend for maximum flavor. When dressing a salad, adding olive oil first before vinegar or lemon can form a protective layer that keeps the vegetables stay fresh and green. It is essential in all Italian pasta sauces and many uncooked, herb-based sauces such as pesto, rely on olive oil. Olive oil can be infused as well with herbs, spices, lemon or mushrooms and can be used the same as ordinary olive oil.
Because olive oil is a natural product it does not improve with age. It should be used as soon as possible in the year it is produced. However, a well-stored olive oil can last up to 18 months without losing its organoleptic qualities. Store olive oil in a cool, dark place, such as a can or dark colored bottle, as light is an enemy of olive oil. When olive oil is chilled it may turn cloudy or solidify. This does not mean it has gone bad and it should clear again when warmed. There is a wide array of olive oils available in most supermarkets or specialty stores. The labels should state the percentage of acidity, grade of oil, volume and country of origin. If the producer or farm or village where it is made is on the label, it usually indicates it is made with care and is high quality.
This article appears in March 2024.