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Choosing an olive oil
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| One of the symbols of Mediterranean cuisine is olive oil, but since not all olive oil is the same, here's a brief guide to help you make an informed choice, pinpointing which product best meets your needs... because choosing an olive oil means wading your way through a maze of labels and imaginative appellations that often derive from the name of the production area. |
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Although there are many other commercially available oils obtained by processing the seeds and fruit of other plants, amongst which we ought to mention sunflower and peanut oil, the undisputed star of Mediterranean cuisine is extra virgin olive oil.
So how do you spot it on the supermarket shelf? The law is very clear and leaves no room for confusion as regards categorization of olive oils, since every product derived from the processing of olives has quite precise characteristics and is given a specific name:
- Extra virgin olive oil
of absolutely perfect flavour, with less than 1% acidity; obtained exclusively through mechanical processing (crushing, pressing, separation); a new EU ruling also makes it compulsory for the label to specify the place of pressing and the origin of the olives, if different from that of production: this allows consumers to tell if an oil is 100% Italian, i.e. made with Italian-grown olives processed in Italy.
- Virgin olive oil
of perfect flavour, with less than 2% acidity; obtained like extra virgin olive oil using mechanical processing.
- Olive oil
obtained by mixing refined olive oils and virgin oils, its acidity level must be below 1.5%; current regulations don't establish a minimum percentage content of virgin oil.
- Pomace oil
obtained by mixing refined pomace oil with virgin oils other than lamp oil, with acidity below 1.5%; current regulations don't establish a minimum percentage content of virgin oil.
The advice is therefore read the label and don't get mixed up between an "extra virgin" and a "virgin" oil, which are two very different things.
Learning how to taste
Just like wine, the oil world too has its own connoisseurs, people who have learned how to taste and evaluate oils and their most subtle components. The parameters used to judge oils offer us valuable information regarding the origin of the oil and production techniques.
Clarity, for example, varies depending on the age of the oil and filtering processes used during production. The presence of any deposits in the oil should also be evaluated carefully, since although it's perfectly normal to have tiny particles suspended in the oil, clearly visible deposits at the bottom of the bottle point to less than meticulous processing.
Density meanwhile is a characteristic that varies from oil to oil; Ligurian oils tend to be more liquid while those from Puglia are more viscous; both different but both extremely palatable.
During gustatory analysis, that is to say actual tasting, the oil is tasted from a teaspoon and without actually swallowing, it's rolled around in the mouth in order to stimulate the taste buds on the various areas of the tongue. It's necessary to breathe in and out frequently and evaluate the persistence of the aftertaste, just as one evaluates the lingering taste of a wine.
If the oil is pleasant in the mouth the taster might speak of a "harmonious fruity" oil, whose flavour is reminiscent of fresh ripe olives during picking and oil extraction. Or it may be "tired fruity" oil if it the olives at the time of picking are quite old.
To indicate various kinds of unpleasantness, there are radically different terms, and tasters speak of "dirt", "mould" and "worm" (typical for olives struck by the olive fly). Or, if olives have been stored under poor conditions, one may detect a "rancid" note, there may be a "dreggish" taste from the deposits left by the oil at the bottom of the container, or sometimes a taste of "cucumber", typical of oils that have been stored too long in tin cans.
DOP (Denominazione d'Origine Protetta - Protected Designation of Origin) Oils
Over the years the desire to safeguard the quality of the various oils produced in Italy has led to the establishment of the DOP appellation, or Protected Denomination of Origin (from the Italian Denominazione d'Origine Protetta) in this sector too. And again like wine, tasting of a given oil will provide qualifying answers in terms of colour, flavour and aroma, revealing whether it is best suited to accompany fish, meat or other pasta dishes.
The most celebrated DOP oils include Brisighella (with a characteristic aroma of artichokes, produced in the provinces of Ravenna and Forlì), Colli del Trasimeno (slightly bitterish and spicy; Colli Amerini, Colli Orvietani, all from Umbria (Umbria is in actual fact the only region to have obtained the DOP appellation for the entire zone), Apruntino Pescarese (with a fruity flavour), Val di Mazara (with good aromatic persistence, from the provinces of Palermo and Agrigento). Without neglecting to mention the fact that superb quality oils are produced in many regions of Italy, from Tuscany and Puglia to Basilicata and the provinces of Lake Garda.
Fries guaranteed
Finally, let's dedicate a few words to frying, the veritable culinary testing ground for any fat, be it animal or vegetable. Of course there is the thorny issue of loss of nutritional properties associated with frying.
Here olive oil surprises us once again because it's one of the best products for frying, owing to its low polyunsaturated fat content.
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