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Olive Oil
Do you have doubts about how to choose an olive oil?
Read our tips, it might help you to find your favourite olive oil!
- 1 - What is olive oil?
- 2 - What are the different types of olive oil?
- 3 - What does it means D.O.P. and D.P.O.?
- 4 - Olive oil taste depends on what?
- 5 - How to use and storage olive oil?
What is olive oil?
- Olive oil is natural oil that exists on olives fruits. Today, olive oil is scientifically recognised to be the healthiest oil that can be used for cooking. While other oils and fats are processed (fabricated), olive oil is like a juice that is simply "extracted" from olives.
Olive oil is used in Mediterranean cultures for millenniums. Types of olive oil
- Virgin olive oils are the oils obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means under conditions, particularly thermal conditions, which do not lead to alterations in the oil.
Virgin olive oils are classified according several organoleptic characteristics and amount of acidity (oleic acid). In Europe, olive oil quality standards are defined by the International Olive Council.
Extra virgin olive oil - has a free acidity of less than 0,8 %, represents the best quality.
Virgin olive oil - has a free acidity of less than < 2 %.
Olive oil used for cooking should present acidity less than 1%. If you find other designations as "Light" olive oil, "pure" olive oil, etc, these are marketing concepts that do not mean anything. What does it means D.O.P. and P.D.O.?
- In some aspects olive oil can be compared to wine. Olive oil also benefits from the "terroir" concept. Some geographic regions with its specific clime, soil and olives varieties produces a type of olive oil with single identity and unique organoleptic characteristics that can not be reproduced somewhere else.
Those systems are usually certified by Agriculture Ministry of each country (or other independent organization), under what is called the "Protected Designation of Origin" (P.D.O.).
Therefore, depending on national language, each country has it own term:
"D.O.P." - from the Portuguese "Denominação de Origem Protegida" and from the Italian term "Denominazione d'Origine Protetta";
"A.O.C." - from French term "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée" Olive oil taste depends on what?
- Many persons choose the olive oil only by the amount of acidity, but in fact acidity measures chemical compounds that at low levels human taste is not able to detect. So, definitely we can say that a low acidity olive oil is healthier than a high acidity olive oil, but one can not automatically conclude that a 0.2% acidity extra virgin olive oil will taste better than a 0.5% acidity extra virgin olive oil. Both are good quality and taste will mainly depend on other factors.
Olive oil final taste depends on:
- the types of olives used
- the geographic region where it comes from (see also "What does it means D.O.P. and P.D.O.?")
- the maturity level of the olives when olive oil is extracted
- process of extraction
How to use and storage Olive oil?
- Store your olive oil in a dark closet. Olive oil is very sensitive to sunlight.
Always close the bottle properly.
Cold temperatures do not affect olive oil properties. It is perfectly normal that at low temperatures olive oil presents some solids. If that happens do not worry, as soon as it warms up again to normal temperature the solid fat particles will disappear.
Do not store olive oil in refrigerator!
Some people say olive oil should only be used as cold condiment (salads) and should not be used for cooking or frying because it is sensitive to high temperatures. This is not correct. When heated, olive oil is the most stable fat, which means it stands up well to high frying temperatures. Its high smoking point (210º C) is well above the ideal temperature for frying food(180º C). So use olive oil, whenever you want. Roasting, frying, grilling, or just as condiment, whatever cooking method you choose olive oil can be used with benefits to health and taste.