Let’s talk today about olive oil: is it beneficial or not? We will discuss which olive oil is better, whether it can be used for frying, and most importantly, I will explain the benefits of olive oil.
Depending on the ripeness of the olives used to produce the oil, it will have a more or less pronounced taste. This is called the “fruitiness” of olive oil. Like wine, olive oil made from riper fruits will have a milder taste and be richer if the fruits are harvested earlier.
What Types of Oil Are There?
The quality of the oil is usually determined by its designation. There are:
– Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Obtained from selected olives pressed very quickly after harvest. To be considered extra virgin, the oil must have an acidity of less than 0.8%.
– First Press Olive Oil: Made from olives pressed a few days after harvest. It has a slightly higher permissible free acidity, up to 2%. This is also “first press” oil, but it may include some less-than-perfect olives.
– Regular Olive Oil: Sometimes referred to as “classic,” “light-tasting,” or “pure” (though the use of the latter term is not recommended). Generally, olive oils are ranked by taste intensity from highest to lowest: extra virgin olive oil, (classic) olive oil, and light-tasting olive oil.
– Olio Nuovo, Olio Novello or New Olive Oil
– Refined Olive Oil: Produced from olives that were not selected for first press oils. Refined olive oil is also mechanically extracted without using chemicals. Almost all free fatty acids are neutralized in the refining process.
All these terms mean essentially the same thing: oil that has just been pressed. When olive oil is first extracted, it has a bright green color and an extraordinarily spicy and intense flavor. After bottling, this color and intensity naturally soften and become “normal.”
Oils with “Old-Fashioned Fruity” Taste
Oils with “old-fashioned fruity” taste are produced from olives that ripen before pressing, making them first press oils. They differ from each other by protected designation of origin, quality guarantee, and production that respects the fruits.
Green fruity oils are characteristic of oils obtained from olives harvested early in the season, around October. Green fruity oils are valued for their fresh and herbal notes as well as their possible bitterness, known as “bitterness.” These are olive oils with the highest antioxidant potential due to their high polyphenol content. Green fruity olive oil pairs wonderfully with your salads and sunny vegetable dishes in summer, awakening them with its strong character.
Ripe fruity oil is made from olives harvested during the ripening period, approximately from November to December. It has a particularly fine and nuanced fruity taste that owes its delicacy to pressing occurring quickly after harvest. Thus, ripe olives do not have time to ferment off the tree. Ripe fruity oil reveals all its nutty aromas when drizzled over a hot dish but will delight discerning gourmets in all types of dishes.
Black fruity oil is obtained when ripe olives are stored for a few days before the first pressing. This gives an olive oil with old-fashioned flavors—a rustic and authentic product that often showcases woody notes of mushrooms or even chocolate or vanilla for those who know how to listen to their taste buds… Black fruity oil will add roundness and character to your fish dishes, spicy recipes, and winter meals.
Acidity of Oil
Acidity of olive oil is a very important factor when choosing olive oil. Acidity is an indicator of overall quality. For example, if olives remain too long on the ground before harvest, the resulting oil will have a higher measurable acidity. The oil will likely have a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. Free fatty acids (FFA) form when glycerol separates from fatty acid chains. Olive oil producers measure free fatty acidity in percentages, indicating how much FFA is not bound to other molecules. A high level of FFA in olive oil generally indicates that the oil was produced either from damaged or improperly stored fruits before extraction or after excessive delay between harvest and pressing. Poor-quality fruits yield low-quality oil.
If you find a bottle of olive oil indicating acidity, take note! Many brands do not print this information on their bottles, but look for lower values if possible.
Color of Oil
Green olive oil means that the olives were intentionally harvested earlier than full ripeness was reached, while yellow indicates oil made from ripe olives. One is not inherently better than the other. If you find an olive oil that is very dark yellow, bordering on brown, stay away! This is a very bad indicator of either poor-quality olives or very old oil.
Can First Press Oil Be Heated?
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is intended only for salads and cold appetizers. Never heat it! This reduces its health benefits. Is this true?
Cooking with olive oil actually makes food healthier. A study published in Food Chemistry showed that phenols and antioxidants from EVOO transfer into vegetables cooked in it, thereby increasing their nutritional value.
Olive oil is unsuitable for cooking due to its low smoke point. Is this true?
The smoke point is not an issue. When you cook with olive oil, it rarely reaches—or ever reaches—the smoke point. Researchers also found that EVOO is the most stable cooking oil when heated according to a recent study published in ACTA Scientific Nutritional Health. This holds true even for long periods compared to oils like sunflower and canola.
Recent studies have confirmed that smoke point is not a good indicator of oxidative stability and that compared to other refined cooking oils at high temperatures, extra virgin olive oil is the safest and most stable. Link here
Olive Oil Improves Over Time Like Wine—Is This True?
Olive oil, like all cooking oils, has a limited shelf life. It should be used within two years after bottling.
To preserve quality, store the oil in a cool dark place and use it within months after opening the bottle.
Tips for Choosing Oils
Extra virgin olive oil does not improve with age; fresher is better; fresh-from-the-mill oil is a magical experience. Fresh oils can have unexpectedly bold flavors of bitterness and spiciness that sometimes overshadow fruitiness. These complex notes are prized by connoisseurs because they indicate high quality and by nutritionists because they signal high amounts of beneficial polyphenols.
Avoid anything in clear glass bottles; no matter how beautiful or enticing the label may be. Light is the main enemy of olive oil; oil in a clear bottle will likely lose much of its flavor and aroma. Look for first press oils in dark glass bottles or even better in opaque cans.
Read the label — even if it’s written in Italian, French or Spanish; you will likely be able to understand enough to recognize harvest dates and “best before” dates. The best producers proudly indicate harvest dates on their olive oils; shelf life can be somewhat misleading as it typically refers to 18 months from bottling rather than harvesting time.
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