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<pre>I can't imagine a more qualified group for reviewing the first issue of
dica olio, my occasional bulletin about olive oil. I will publish this on
my site and distribute it to my own small email list.

It's intended to educate American cooks about olive oil. If you see any
glaring errors or have any other comments, you can post them on the list or
email me directly. Subscribers to this list have my permission to use this
material as long as it is kept intact, not altered in any way, and includes
attribution and copyright notices.

Jim

www.realgoodfood.com



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Dica Olio
Olive Oil information from Real Good Food
Volume 1, March 2000

Welcome to the first issue of Dica Olio (literally "say oil" in Italian).
This sporadically published bulletin will provide fascinating tidbits of
information about one of my favorite foods, olive oil. If you don't want to
get it, send an email to me at the address below. For ideas on how to use
your olive oil to make almost anything taste real good, visit
www.realgoodfood.com.

Extra Virgin

Most well-informed cooks think that olive oil labeled "extra virgin" comes
from the very first pressing of just-picked olives, and if the words
"cold-pressed" appear, so much the better. The notion evokes images of a
sunny Mediterranean countryside, rustic baskets filled with shiny black
olives, and green-gold oil running freely from an ancient press that
probably dates back to the Romans. Such oil, unsullied by the modern
industrial world, must be the best available.

It's a beautiful dream, but the oil you buy here in the US, even the pricey
stuff, is most likely the product of a high-tech continuous press, a
mechanical wonder of gleaming stainless steel and digital readouts capable
of turning hundreds of kilos of olives into oil every hour. It probably
uses hot water, up to 30 degrees Celsius (about 86 degrees F), to help get
the last molecules of valuable oil away from the olives' other vegetable
liquids. A high-speed centrifuge separates the oil and water, and a filter
might also be used before the liquid gold is bottled and labeled "extra
virgin olive oil."

So just what does "extra virgin" really mean? In the European Union, the
words can only be used if the oil meets both chemical and flavor standards
(these last are called "organoleptic," a term that encompasses flavor,
aroma, and mouthfeel). The definitions for different grades of olive oil
were established by the International Olive Oil Council in 1990. Only two
grades of oil, extra virgin and virgin, are the result of simple pressing
that, while technologically advanced, mimics the age-old methods of
squeezing olives to get oil.

-Extra virgin: oils with "perfect" flavor, defined as an organoleptic
rating of 6.5 or higher as determined by a panel of certified tasters, and
a level of free fatty acid (expressed as oleic acid) of one percent or less.

-Virgin: oils with good flavor (a rating less than 6.5) and an acid level
between 1 and 3 percent.

Note that "first-pressing" and "cold-pressed" don't appear in the official
definitions. All extra virgin and virgin oil comes from a single pressing,
and in fact, the olives are almost always only pressed once. Even if warm
water is used, the oil is considered "cold-pressed," and the term on the
label is pure marketing, similar to the use of the phrase "no cholesterol"
on products that clearly aren't of animal origin.

The other grades of olive oil are the result of two different processes.
They're sometimes called "rectified" because additional steps are taken to
correct or rectify the flavor.

-Olive oil: Formerly referred to as "pure," this is mostly oil pressed from
inferior fruit so that the flavor is unacceptable or the acidity is more
than 3 percent (in some countries oil with high acidity is preferred, but
most of us would find it unpalatable). It is refined to remove the
undesirable characteristics, leaving a completely tasteless oil. A small
amount of virgin or extra virgin oil is blended back in to provide some
flavor.

-Olive pomace oil: The residue from the pressing process, called pomace (or
sansa in Italy) undergoes additional chemical refining to extract the last
fraction of oil. A small amount of virgin or extra virgin oil is blended in
to provide flavor

Since most of the olive oil consumed domestically is imported from EU
countries, you'll see these terms on the labels (except perhaps for "virgin
olive oil," since very little of it is exported; most is used for
blending). The California Olive Oil Council has adopted the EU standards,
so domestic olive oil labeled as "COOC Certified Extra Virgin" has also
been rated by a tasting panel.

But the labeling definitions aren't required by the FDA. In fact, the FDA
standards for olive oil were established in 1948, and the words extra
virgin don't appear anywhere. Under the FDA rules, the best grade of oil
can have an oleic acid content of 1.4%. In other words, anything goes. So
how do you know what you're getting? Short of tasting the oil, you can't be
sure.


Next in Dica Olio: Tasting olive oil


Comments, questions, or just don't want to hear another word about olive
oil? Email me at:
jdixon@realgoodfood.com

copyright 2000 Jim Dixon
protected by US and International copyright law
reproduction in any form without written permission expressly prohibited

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