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<pre>I don't think any group is more qualified than this one to comment on my
second issue of Dica Olio, so here's the draft version. Those of you who
responded earlier (I guess it was much earlier...issue #1 went out in late
March...when I call this "sporadically published, I mean it) will
eventually get an email version. If any others would like be on my
distribution list, send me a note. I also publish this on my web site (URL
below).

Either post your comments here or send me an email.

Thanks

Jim

ps: issue #1 is available on my site

http://www.realgoodfood.com



Dica Olio

Volume #2 of my sporadically published newsletter about olive oil

Tasting olive oil

note: unless otherwise indicated, when I say oil or olive oil, it means
extra virgin olive oil


Okay, so now you know that the label on a bottle of olive oil doesn't
really tell you much about how it tastes (you don't know that? go back and
read Dica Olio #1). You could trust the advice of whoever is selling the
oil, and that is one of those instances where it might really be cheaper in
the long run to shop where they know the oil and sell enough of it that it
doesn't sit on the shelf for a year or more.

But to really know if it's what you want, and to learn a little about how
much olive oil can vary depending on how and where it's produced, you'll
have to taste it.

In the European Union, where the term "extra virgin" has a specific and
tightly controlled meaning, tasting olive oil means following a specific
procedure to determine the oil's organoleptic rating. Everything from the
preferred time of day (mid-morning) to the taster's last smoke (at least 30
minutes prior to tasting, as if that really matters for taste buds dulled
by tobacco...end of rant) is specified. The tasters use cobalt blue tasting
glasses so that the oil's color doesn't influence them (color has no
meaning when it comes to the actual taste, although it combines with other
elements in the aesthetic of a plate of food), and they only test 5 or 6
oils because the palate can't really handle too many more.

It's not difficult to replicate an official tasting. Gather together a set
of tasting cups of some kind. It's best if they're all the same, and even
better if they have a lid of some kind. I like to use the lidded plastic
condiment cups from a local bento stand (the owner smiles curiously when I
offer to pay for a couple dozen, but always tells me to just take them).
While some folks might sniff at plastic, it's completely neutral so it
doesn't impart any flavor, and the translucent material masks the color a
bit.

Don't try to taste more than 3 or 4 oils, and pick a selection that
includes a blended oil (like Bertolli extra virgin or any of the big name
brands) and perhaps oils from different countries. One of the California
oils would also be an interesting addition. If you know (or have heard)
that any of the oils are stronger flavored, taste them last (and taste the
blended oil first, since it will most likely be the mildest).

Pour a tablespoon or so of each oil into the tasting cups and cover them
(it helps to mark them so you can tell which is which). Hold the cup in
your palm for a few seconds to warm the oil, then uncover and hold it up to
your nose to get the aroma. Take all of the oil into your mouth and gently
swish it around so that all of your flavor receptors get a hit. You can
inhale gently over your teeth to oxidize the oil and release volatile
aromatics, just like with tasting wine. Along with any flavor notes, pay
attention to the mouth-feel or level of "greasiness" that you discern.

Official tasters do each oil separately, cleansing their palates with
mineral water or slices of green apple between tastes. I think it's a
little easier for rookies to compare aromas side-by-side. We don't have the
sensory vocabulary or experience to make consistent comments, so smell one,
then the next, and you'll be able to sniff the difference a little more
easily. I do think a palate-cleanser between tastes is a good idea.

The lexicon of oil tasting is similar to wine, and just as confusing. Terms
like apple, bitter, metallic, muddy sediment, musty-humid, old, pressing
mat, pungent, rancid, rough, soapy, sweet, vegetable water, and
winey-vinegary are used, and each has a specific meaning when it comes to
awarding an organoleptic score. Descriptors such as almond , cucumber,
grass, apples, green peppers, and artichoke are really more reminders of
flavor than what the oil actually tastes like.

For most people, the most characteristic flavor of good oils is a peppery
quality, the bitter finishing flavor that Italians call piccante. A very
young Tuscan oil can be loaded with it, and it can catch in the throat when
the oil is tasted neat. As the phenols and other chemical compounds that
give the oil its flavor slowly change with age, this peppery bite
diminishes. Finding your own preferred level of piccante is important in
determining which oils you buy.

I think tasting oils can be interesting, but the mouth feel of a big swig
of olive oil can be off-putting for many people. And, for the same reason
that official tastings don't use bread (the yeast alters the flavor of the
oil), I think tasting oils with food can actually provide a better sense of
the differences. After all, that's how you'll be eating it.

So I like to make a few simple things that depend on the flavor of good
olive oil, put a little of a few different oils on each one (in separate
dishes), and taste them. Bread's a natural. Roasted beets and boiled
potatoes are other favorites of mine, and simply cooked beans are perfect
(use navy, small whites, cannellini, or borlotti beans for a real Tuscan
touch). When oil is drizzled onto a bowl of warm beans, the heat releases
the aroma, and the neutral beans are a great vehicle for the oil's taste. A
plain green salad (lettuce only) also works well to highlight the different
flavors of the oils. First toss the well-dried greens with one part vinegar
(use Spanish sherry or red wine vinegars, but not balsamic because it's too
sweet), then drizzle on from twice to three times as much oil and toss
again.

You'll find that the blended oils are pretty bland compared to what are
sometimes called "estate-bottled" olive oils. Bertolli, Bari, and other big
producers buy oil from around the Mediterranean and blend it for a uniform
flavor (Italy exports many times more oil than it produces, and Italian
imports labeled "bottled in Italy" usually contain perfectly good oils from
Spain, Greece, Turkey, or Tunisia). Estate bottling typically means that
the oil is pressed from olives grown at one location, and these oils carry
more of the individual flavors of the places they come from. Different
cultures around the olive belt have also developed different tastes, and
they harvest and press their olives to satisfy their own palates. It's up
to you to find an olive oil that pleases yours.
</pre>
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<pre>Jim

I enjoy reading your newsletter on OliveOil@egroups.com

Why create another distribution list for your newsletter when you can send
to all of us in this
group in one shot. Just send it as you usually do to OliveOil@egroups.com

In fact you should invite the members on your distribution list to join this
group as well for the benefit of learning from a diverse source.

Best regards
Sadoun


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Dixon" <jdixon@realgoodfood.com>

> If any others would like be on my
>distribution list, send me a note. I also publish this on my web site (URL
>below).
>Either post your comments here or send me an email.
>Thanks
>Jim
</pre>
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<pre>Jim

Nice little intro on tasting evoo. When inhaling over your teeth, the aim is
to atomise (atomize) the oil. Oxidation takes quite a bit longer (and
something to avoid!)... O.K, we know what you meant!
Re the point raised by Brian, the fact is (as you rightly intimate) that the
Italian exports are mainly re-routed imports masquerading as the genuine
Italian product. The problem facing the new world producers (and I talk
specifically for S.Africa) is the perception of their general public that
these "Italian" imports are the real McCoy. That's why it is so important to
have these tastings (comparing estate-produced oils with the Bertolli's of
the world) and to distribute the type of info you have. Hopefully you're
preaching to the converted on this forum.
I recently presented a lecture on the organoleptic assessment of evoo, and
although it's a bit technical, I'll be happy to mail it directly to you if
you're interested.

Regards,

Guido
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<pre>G

Would love a copy if possible.

Regards
----- Original Message -----
From: Guido Costa <costa@mweb.co.za>
To: <OliveOil@egroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 26, 2000 3:32 AM
Subject: Re: [OliveOil] dica olio #2


> Jim
>
> Nice little intro on tasting evoo. When inhaling over your teeth, the aim
is
> to atomise (atomize) the oil. Oxidation takes quite a bit longer (and
> something to avoid!)... O.K, we know what you meant!
> Re the point raised by Brian, the fact is (as you rightly intimate) that
the
> Italian exports are mainly re-routed imports masquerading as the genuine
> Italian product. The problem facing the new world producers (and I talk
> specifically for S.Africa) is the perception of their general public that
> these "Italian" imports are the real McCoy. That's why it is so important
to
> have these tastings (comparing estate-produced oils with the Bertolli's of
> the world) and to distribute the type of info you have. Hopefully you're
> preaching to the converted on this forum.
> I recently presented a lecture on the organoleptic assessment of evoo, and
> although it's a bit technical, I'll be happy to mail it directly to you if
> you're interested.
>
> Regards,
>
> Guido
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Five steps to help promote OliveOil:
>
> 1- Add a general link to the group on your website:
http://www.egroups.com/group/OliveOil
>
> 2- Mention the group and its URL in your newsletters and publications.
>
> 3- Invite others to visit:
> http://www.egroups.com/group/OliveOil
>
> 4- Add a subscription link on your website. See how here:
http://www.egroups.com/promote/OliveOil
>
> 5- If you would like me to send a formal invitation to people you know,
write to me at OliveOil-owner@egroups.com
>
>
>
</pre>
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<pre>Dear guido

I would lke a copy ofyhour talk. Could you sed it as an attachment to my
email


kailis@ca.com.au
</pre>
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<pre>Dear Stan

Do you have another e-mail address? I don't seem to have any success in
transmitting the requested file to your given address. I keep getting return
messages from my server to the effect that transmission has been blocked due
to susceptibility to third-party mail relay..??? (I've had no problem
sending it to others). Alternatively you may obtain the file from Peter
Caird on this group.

regards, Guido
</pre>
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