FAQ

“Extra virgin olive oil” is the category with the highest quality from an organoleptic point of view, it is fruity, and its acidity level shall not exceed 0.8%.

“Virgin olive oil” is slightly less fruity. Its acidity shall not exceed 2%.

If the little word "extra" is missing (and surprisingly it is missing often), the oil is usually also missing something; For example, it has qualitative deficiencies or is less fruity in taste. From a health point of view, you can also consume this "virgin olive oil" without any problems. For good olive oil three mandatory details are important: "Country of origin" "First quality class", and "Directly from olives exclusively with mechanical processes"

Labels, origins, and seals help.

The protected designations of origin are an indicator of good olive oil. As with wines, the region of origin and location in the cultivation also play an important role. However, many oils are mixtures.

Better then, a clear country of origin is recognizable, even better a single region. “Bottled in” is not a reliable indicator. "Protected designation of origin" or "Protected geographical indication" is better, but there is also occasional cheating. Also, prefer organic when it comes to oils.

Good olive oil is not cheap: a liter of oil of reasonable quality cannot cost less than 10 euros (5 euros per 500 ml bottle). Gourmet olive oils typically cost around 20 euros per half, 40 euros per liter. You just can't make it cheaper.

Alleged olive oil bargains are often of inferior quality and are usually not produced under fair conditions.

Good olive oil is "cold-pressed" within 24 hours - at a maximum of 27 degrees Celsius. Hence the mandatory information "directly from olives, exclusively with mechanical processes" for the first quality class. In general, the ripe the fruit comes into the oil press, the “softer” (milder) the oil will be. Less ripe olives result in a stronger taste.

Different varieties differ greatly in taste. "Good oils can be hot, fruity, but also bitter". Mild oils are particularly good for baking, desserts, or marinades. A fruity, intense olive oil is ideal for fish or salads, for example, while grilled food goes well with a strong oil with a sharp and bitter note. More aromatic oils are more likely to be the right choice for frying.

If the supposed “extra virgin” oil smells musty, metallic, rancid, or musty, then maybe something is wrong with it, and it is better not to use it.

The best olive oil cannot be recognized by its flowery descriptions: According to the Olive Oil Ordinance, only the taste descriptions “fruity”, “spicy” and “bitter” are allowed, extended with a strength indicator such as “intensive”, “medium” or “light”. Statements such as “nutty” or “tastes like herbs and tomatoes” are not officially allowed. The ordinance also stipulates which tastes should be assessed by testers as positive and which as negative.

More and more often one also finds the note “single-origin”: single-variety olive oil is only pressed from a certain type of olive. Some foodies think that's great. But the effort in production is often higher: many olive farms consist of very different trees, the olives of which are processed together for the sake of simplicity - which does not harm the oil.

Single-variety olive oil is suitable for anyone looking for a particularly aromatic oil. Particularly spicy and strikingly strong olive oils are obtained from green, still unripe olives. A specialty is, for example, the particularly early harvested Cornicabra, which is characterized by strong grass notes and a sharp, peppery taste.

While the process may vary slightly from one producer to another, there are six steps necessary to produce olive oil.

Step 1: Harvesting - Olives are picked throughout the harvesting season (October - December), with green olives harvested early in the season and darker, more mature olives harvested later in the year.

Step 2: Processing – Shortly after harvesting, olives are separated from leaves and branches, washed, and crushed by hammermills.

Step 3: Mixing - After the olives and pits have been crushed and milled into a thick paste, water is added, and the mixture is stirred slowly to allow the small oil droplets to connect to larger drops.

Step 4: Pressing - When the olive pulp and water are sufficiently stirred, the mixture is pressed in a mechanical oil press to separate the olive oil from the water and pulp.

Step 5: Refining - The highest-quality olive oil produced from green olives harvested at their peak ripeness does not need any refining. This product is then classified as virgin or extra virgin olive oil. Lower-quality oil is refined using heat or chemicals. This process masks the less desirable flavor and delivers a product commonly referred to as “light” or “pure” olive oil.

Step 6: Bottling - As soon as it’s extracted, olive oil is quickly stored in stainless steel containers and poured directly into bottles or packages designed to protect the oil from the harmful effects of heat, oxygen, and light.

• Heat the olive oil.

The popular belief that olive oil is unsuitable for frying is not true. Just be careful not to let the oil get too hot. Approx. Up to 150 °C. However, it is advisable to use other oils for cooking than, for example, for salads. Gourmets therefore usually have several different oils in the kitchen.

• olive oil for frying.

Heating is of course always associated with a certain loss of nutrients. It is advisable not to use the finest or most expensive olive oil for frying or deep-frying, but to use simple organic olive oil or hot-pressed qualities that are suitable for higher temperatures.

Some supermarkets certainly have good olive oil in their product range. But there it is only one of many products and the selection of organic oils is usually very small. There is sure to be good oil on the supermarket shelf. The probability of finding an excellent olive oil is, however, rather low.

Specialized dealers often maintain their trading relationships for a long time and are more personal. Many providers have made organic and fairness a priority.