A first block of ten questions and answers that Marco Antonucci (in the picture) – the creator of Gocce d'Olio, the podcast series dedicated to people who would like to know everything or almost everything about olive oil and olives – has reserved episode number 100 of his successful column.
When the extra virgin olive oil "prickles in the throat" is it acidic?
The acidity of the oil cannot be felt in the mouth: it can only be determined through chemical analysis. Many write, especially in groups dedicated to olive growers, that they are able to determine the acidity simply by tasting the oil, boasting decades of experience in this practice.
But these people often mistake the "tingling" they feel in their throat for acidity. In reality, "spiciness" is a positive characteristic that recalls chili pepper and indicates the presence of polyphenols, antioxidant substances useful for health and its intensity depends on the cultivar, maturation and pressing system.
What is the difference between “Extra Virgin Olive Oil” and “Olive Oil”?
Extra virgin olive oil is a natural and mechanical squeeze of healthy, properly ripe, fresh olives; it is free of defects and with correct chemical analyses; Virgin Olive Oil is a natural and mechanical squeeze of olives which has some slight chemical and/or organoleptic defects; Lampante is a seriously defective oil that is not marketable and inedible.
Olive Oil is a mixture of lampante oils that have undergone an industrial refining process and a small part of virgin oils
Is extra virgin olive oil more caloric than olive or seed oil?
All oils have 9 calories per gram, whether they are olive or seed; there are no “light” oils. Extra virgin olive oil is fragrant and tasty and therefore a spoonful is enough to taste it, unlike olive or seed oils which, being odorless and tasteless, lead to using more.
Is “first cold pressed” better?
The law establishes that to write the words "first cold pressing" on the label, the maximum temperature of 27° must be maintained during only one part of the processing of the olives in the mill. In order to write it on the label, the mill operator must provide a declaration indicating the technological means to guarantee the truthfulness of the declarations, otherwise it is fraud in the trade. It goes without saying that if mediocre olives arrive at the mill you will obtain an extra virgin olive oil with "cold pressing" but of poor quality. Furthermore, talking about the first pressing would make sense if there was a second... which obviously isn't there for extra virgin olive oil!
Do “DOP” oils offer a guarantee of quality?
The PDOs give only one guarantee: the oil is made according to a precise regulation, called disciplinary, which regulates the entire production process, defining and imposing the origin of the olives, the processing and production methods, the chemical and organoleptic parameters that they are usually more restrictive and consistent with the production area, the cultivars to be used... These and a whole other series of other indications contained in the individual specifications mean that the potential to be a better oil is all there, but it is not certain that these potentials are then expressed in reality.
What is the minimum shelf life of an oil?
Given that the shelf life of an oil, no matter how perfect it is, depends on how it is stored, a substantial aspect must be kept in mind: a freshly pressed oil has a quantity of polyphenols which slowly decreases over time because they combat the oxidation of the fat; when they are entirely "consumed" the oil is left without its natural protection and begins to go rancid.
The minimum shelf life by law does not exist as it is legally defined by the producer or packager under his own responsibility and starts from the date of bottling and not of production: an oil with a high quantity of polyphenols or correct filtering preserves unchanged its product characteristics for much longer than an oil poor in polyphenols or unfiltered and will therefore be able to boast a longer expiry date.
Is the cruet prohibited in restaurants?
The law states that in public establishments (canteens, bars, restaurants...) the oils must be presented in correctly labeled containers, equipped with a suitable closing device that cannot be modified and which does not allow the container to be reused after the contents have run out. original. If you find a bottle without a refill cap or a cruet on the table or counter, it is advisable to ask for it to be replaced with a suitable bottle because it is a consumer's right.
Of course, the cruet is not the best container for storing oil in the restaurant or at home, where it is often used incorrectly since it is never washed but continues to be topped up, allowing only the defects of the oils it contains to pick up.
Is the best oil extraction system the one with stone millstones?
The most widespread system is the continuous cycle (more than 90% of the total), consisting of a crusher that chops the olive, a tank called a malaxer in which the pulp is mixed and a decanter, which separates the oil from the water and from the pomace: a mechanical transformation, with reduced contact with the air and controlled temperatures followed by a final filtration process. The traditional or discontinuous cycle, still used today to represent the bucolic image of olive pressing, is made up of granite wheels called mills which crush the drupes and then spread them on nylon discs called fiscoli and press them. This type of processing does not allow temperature control, correct cleaning after each pressing and the olive paste remains in contact with the air throughout the extraction process as well as being exposed to high pressures.
Black olives, green olives: which are the best?
There is only one type of olive which, like most fruit, changes color when ripe. In autumn the skin turns from green to a darker color tending towards purple/black: this transformation is called veraison and normally represents the ripening period of the olive.
Is "gentle" or "strong" better?
Only adjectives recognized by the European Regulation that refer to a positive attribute of olive oil can be written on the label (for example "intense", "medium", "light", associated with attributes such as fruity, green, ripe, etc.) if certified by the Panel Leader whose group carried out the organoleptic evaluation to define the product classification. It is not possible to write adjectives such as robust, gentle, vigorous... Or any other word that can be traced back to organoleptic attributes other than those regulated
Is Italian extra virgin olive oil the best in the world?
Quality is not linked to the territory, but depends on the cultivars, processing in the field, harvesting, extraction, conservation: in every part of the olive-growing world it is possible to obtain excellent oils. Italy has an edge because it has a wealth of cultivars (over 538) that no other country can boast; Spain, the world's leading oil producer, has 183.
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