An Ancient Allure: Olive Oil 101
added 01/19/09
Olive oil seems to hold an enduring interest for serious cooks and casual gourmets alike, whether the purpose is an authentic Italian recipe or just for dipping bread.
An Ancient Tradition
Olive oil is an ancient, alluring food. Olive trees have been cultivated for thousands of years, and olive oil is a part of the everyday culture throughout the Mediterranean region and beyond. Fossilized remains of the olive tree’s ancestor, dating from the Pliocene era, were found near Livorno, Italy, although actual cultivation probably did not begin in Italy until the fifth century B.C. Over the centuries, the use and enjoyment of olive oil has spread throughout the world.
Major olive producers in the world include countries in the Mediterranean region (Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Portugal), as well as California. The traditional method of extracting olive oil from olives is nearly the same today as it has been for thousands of years. In the fall, usually beginning in October or November, olives are harvested by hand and collected in containers. Sometimes they are gathered in nets placed around the foot of the tree.
The olives are taken to the mill as soon as possible and are pressed within the same day to make the best quality oils. Huge rolling stones sometimes weighing several tons are used to crush the olives into olive mash. The olive mash is then spread onto thin mats of natural fiber or plastic that are stacked and placed into a machine “press.” The press applies several hundred pounds of pressure, and oil and juices from the mash seep out of the mats and drip into collection vats. In this method, no heat is applied in the pressing (“first cold pressed”). The resulting oil is separated from the olive juice or water by decanting or by centrifuge. Oil obtained only by the mechanical pressing of the olives is described as “virgin” olive oil, because it is pure, unrefined, and unprocessed. There are many more modern methods used today to produce olive oil, but the traditional method described above is still used by the best quality producers.
Choosing Quality Olive Oil
Today the interest in quality olive oil is greater than ever, and there are thousands of distinctive olive oils on the market. The difficulty in choosing quality olive oil is compounded by a lack of labeling regulations regarding the terms “cold pressed,” “first cold pressed,” “extra virgin,” and others. Strictly speaking, a producer can label olive oil with any of those terms, since they are not defined by United States labeling laws. Beware especially of olive oil labeled “pure,” as this usually indicates that the oil has been heavily refined or treated to remove flaws and off flavors.
Here at the Co-op, we carry dozens of high-quality extra virgin olive oils on our shelves. At any given time of the year, ten to fifteen of the olive oils we carry are “estate” olive oils. These are oils that are made from the olive trees on one estate or from one particular group of growers, and are usually produced and bottled on the estate grounds. Estate oils are generally thought to be among the best available. However, the label may read estate-bottled, or extra virgin, or first cold pressed, or any number of things. How do you know that the oil inside is of the best quality and to your liking? Taste is the one and only true measure of an olive oil.
Tasting high-quality olive oil can be quite an adventure. We taste hundreds of olive oils over the course of any given year, and try our best to bring a great selection of oils to our stores. Olive oil offers a broad range of flavor characteristics from green, grassy, and peppery to sweet and buttery. Olives harvested early in the season, when green, typically offer powerfully green, peppery, and herbal flavors. Olives harvested later in the season, when ripe, are usually more buttery and rich in flavor. Additionally, the variety of olive (there are more than four hundred) and the region where they are produced greatly affect the oil’s flavor characteristics. Oils from Tuscany, in Italy, are generally peppery and vibrant, while oils from Spain, the world’s largest producer, are lighter and gentler.
