Ingredient: Olive Oil - Extra Virgin
Category: Oils
Season: All
Extra-virgin olive oil comes from cold pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil.
Extra virgin olive oil is a product with a life of its own.
No two virgin olive oils are the same, the climate, the soil, the variety of olive, the altitude at which the trees grow, rainfall levels, define their particular nature.
Together, with infinity of minor factors that give a special flavour and piquancy, that characterises the individual oil.
Always check the label for a production date or year. Olive oil is best consumed within a couple of years from pressing.
The words "estate bottled" usually mean that the oil comes from olives picked at a single farm, not blended for a uniform flavour like the big name brands,
We would recommend that you choose oil from a manufacturer that has achieved recognition under the "Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO)" standard.
This means that the olives are all produced in that locality and conform to strict quality standards, giving you a guarantee on the taste and flavour of the individual oil.
If you normally use olive oil simply for cooking, then choose good multi-purpose oil like a Spanish Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This is an all-rounder, at an affordable price.
When you are using extra virgin olive oil for dressing pasta or a salad you want oil that has a particular flavour!
One that will enhance the qualities of the dish is Early Harvest Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil, produced in northern Spain and made from Arbequina olives has a taste typical of this variety: fresh and grassy and can be used for drizzling or dressing
By contrast, Ligurian Taggiasca Extra Virgin Olive Oil, produced in northern Italy, is a softer, sweeter tasting oil.
A cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil that’s made from Taggiasca olives. These small purple olives grow on the rugged coastal hillsides of Liguria in northwest Italy, grown at between 500 and 700 metres above sea level; it is delicately fragrant with a clean, fruity character on the palate.
Its freshness is also testament to the fact that the olives are crushed immediately after picking, something that is commonplace with the best oils.
While lacking the bite of many Tuscan oils, the best from Liguria are more restrained, and therefore better suited for use in cooking.
For drizzling, lower temperature cooking, and salads, get the best oil you can afford. It should be aromatic and flavourful, slightly bitter (but pleasantly so) with no greasy or fatty mouth feel.
You can expect to pay anywhere from £10 to £20 for a litre of real good extra virgin oil, but it makes simple foods taste so wonderful it's well worth the cost.
Flavoured variations
These days you can buy extra virgin oils that have additional flavourings added to them, added flavours include:
Chilli peppers, garlic, black peppercorns, crushed basil, crushed garlic, crushed rosemary, black truffles, white truffles, oranges and its’ zests, lemons and its’ zests, crushed porcini mushrooms, o rganic sun-ripened bergamia (a small, interesting, fruit of the citrus family).
Olive oil general information, click here |