Plant-based athletic eating meets scrutiny
If you’ve been in the olive oil section of the grocery store lately, you’ve likely been confronted with a lot of choices. Possibly even a wall of olive oils, with different symbols on the bottles and a whole lot of brands to choose from.
For most of us, the world of olive oil is a bit of a mystery, and you may find yourself with the same kind of uncertainty you feel in a wine store when contemplating the plethora of bottles lined up.
My friend Ted called me up a while back and asked, “Should I buy the extra virgin olive oil, or should I go with something more experienced?” Yes, the jokes about extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) are easy, but the fact remains: There is a lot of confusion about which olives oils to buy and how to use them.
So let’s get into it. What kind of olive oils should you keep on hand, and which should you use when? First, let’s dive into the meaning of extra virgin, virgin and pure olive oil.
The term extra virgin, which also might be labeled coldpressed, refers to oil made from the first pressing or milling of fresh, young, green olives.
According to Vincent Ricchiuti, a fourth-generation farmer in Fresno, who founded Enzo Olive Oil, “One of the most important things for quality and freshness is how fast you get the olives from the tree to the mill.” His organic olives go from the tree to bottle within 24 hours.
The flavor of extra virgin olive oils can range widely. Grapes, regions, weather… all affect the taste and quality, just like wine. Good- quality extra virgin olive oils usually have pleasant notes of bitterness, and different oils will have more specific flavor nuances: You may hear yourself using words like peppery, grassy, vegetal, sweet or almondy.
The intensity of flavor varies from delicate to assertive, though good extra virgin olive oil should always taste fresh and clean. The color may range from a rich glowing green to golden yellow.
Pure olive oil is made from the paste or pomace that remains after the first pressing. Usually there are chemicals involved in this process, and this oil is best used for cooking and frying, as its flavor tends to be blander and less nuanced than extra virgin olive oils.
Virgin olive oil is usually a blend of extra virgin and pure olive oils.