Olive Oils: the Finer Points
The olive tree provides one of the earliest foods recorded by man. A native of the Mediterranean area; the olive tree is referenced often throughout the Bible, where it's said the oil burned providentially for eight whole days. Olive oils continue a conspicuous status in today's cuisine—a frequent theme in delectable cookery—acquiring extolment from dieticians as a healthy, and delicious way to help prevent cholesterol problems.
The rivalry in countries where olive trees flourish is considerable. Each nation or area, claim that the olive oils they produce are superior. The casual cook may find the subject of olive oil quite confusing. You see, there are several grades, each with different uses depending upon a particular culinary preparation. Some savory questions are:
- When should I use extra virgin—cold-pressed oil?
- Which olive oils are best to dress my salad?
- Which is advisable for everyday cooking requirements—Spanish or Italian?
Okay, let's dive right in, figuratively speaking, and see if we can clean up this oily mess.
First and foremost (and the reason for this article on the site), all olive oils are lacking one element found in just about every other kind of oil: cholesterol. So, at the very least, you know you'll be making healthy dishes when you use olive oils.
Greece, of course, plus Italy, France and Spain all endeavor to be the foremost in quality and purity—they all have fertile olive producing domains. The reality is, that climate and soil conditions produce distinctive characters to the oils. So, it really hasn't much to do with an absolute attribute of quality that can be precisely painted as superior (or inferior). Soil composition and clime bestow an identifiable flavor, adding up to a simple preference for specific olive oils to foods from the same region.
Regardless of the region where produced; olive oils are graded on the refinement of the finished product, having mostly to do with the acidity. The 'extra virgin' designate is attributed to the first 'cold pressing' of the olives. This label prescribes a maximum acidity level of eight-tenths of a percent. This variety is appropriate for the most exquisite salad dressings, where the super-ordinate flavor of the cold pressing becomes apparent.
Considered a slightly lower grade, 'virgin' oils are still of a satisfactory salad dressing quality. Virgin olive oils are constrained to no more than two percent acidity, and must not incorporate any refined oil. As with extra virgin, virgin oils should not be squandered in cookery; the delicate flavor will be ruined by cooking.
Products with the simple moniker 'olive oil' do not shoot for the distinct or refined 'tones' and are best used in cooking. Also, beware of labels lauding 'Imported from Italy' or '100% pure.' These are misleading and imply a level of caliber that is unwarranted. These products are at the bottom rung of quality, possibly made from a composite of oils from different regions, or countries; best utilized only in frying.
Olive oil is somewhat of a craze among cooks. They'd say "It's imperative to understand the different grades if you want to get the most flavor from your cooking". Anyway, if you remember that olive oils contain no cholesterol—the finer points aside—your heart will thank you.