Olive Oil - The Foundation of Italian Cooking
For many Italians, the trifecta of fresh olive oil, a slice of good bread and a sun warmed tomato, directly off the vine, is their unadorned favorite, and maybe the essence of the simplicity of the Italian kitchen.
On my way down to the beach every day, I pass the twisted and gnarled trunks of olive trees, some of them hollowed out and split by time and weather, as if they are standing on two legs in the fertile soil that reward their ancient roots with nutrients and water. I imagine that these trees might have been planted four or five generations ago and have been carefully pruned and tended over time to produce fruit as bountiful as they did 150 years ago.
On a nearby hillside called Monte Vecchio, The Old Mountain, my good friend Giancarlo has a grove that faces the morning and afternoon sun and is cooled by the salt breezes that blow in from the sea. This climatic combination produces an exceptional oil, of the type that is favored in Vasto. The Vastese prefer the bitter, spiciness and sweet aroma of oil from the traditional olive varieties that grow in these older groves, as opposed to the milder types that are cultivated commercially, and give the abundant harvests that are the cornerstone of the region’s agricultural economy.
Olive trees are the oldest cultivated trees known to man and there are at least 700 known varieties in the world, 80 of which are cultivated in Abruzzo. Each type has a distinct aroma and flavor. Abruzzo is one of Italy’s most productive olive regions, thanks to its geography and environment. The hills that gently slope to the sea from the snow-capped peaks of the Apennine Mountains, are ideal for the cultivation of olives, and has fostered one of Italy’s richest olive-growing heritages.
One hundred kilos of olives give approximately ten to twenty liters of oil, the taste and quantity of which is dependent on the stage of the fruit’s ripeness. The harvest season stretches from October to January. Olives that are harvested early are still green and give less, but tastier oil. Olives that are harvested later are darker in color and give a more abundant and mellower oil.
To understand the proportions of how much oil comes from each tree, my friend Cristina estimated that her family uses about sixty liters of olive oil a year. That amount is equal to the harvest of three or four productive trees.
Olive oil, unlike cheese or wine, doesn’t get better as it ages. The first pressing is titled “Extra Virgin” and meets strict requirement regarding taste, aroma, and coloring. Oil that fails to meet any of those requirements is titled “Virgin” and is suitable for cooking. Any other quality is not suitable for culinary purposes.
Olive oil changes taste from farm to farm, season to season, but the rule is, the fresher the oil the better. Oil should be stored dark and cool. A typical extra virgin oil won't remain extra virgin grade for longer than a year after it's pressed. After one year it is not considered extra virgin but is suitable for other culinary uses.
Note: Olive oil not only has health benefits. Among all the oils and fats that are used for the preparation and production of food, olive oil is at the top of the list ecologically.
Some Tips When You Buy Oil
Ask which harvest, late or early. (early harvested olives give less, but spicier oil)
The fresher the better
Store it properly- dark and cool.
A Caveat
Olive oil is the most falsified food commodity in the world, and at times, far from the liquid gold that the label promises. Beware of inexpensive oil in the supermarket that can be blended with low grades of oil from many different countries, or sometimes blended with cheaper vegetable oils, such as sunflower and rape seed.
The label on the bottle often says, "Oil from the European Union,” or specifically “from Italy, Spain or Greece," and is seldom dated. (The age of the oil is one of its most important aspects.) Inferior oil that crosses borders from non- European Union countries are known to be mixed into these oils. There are also labeling frauds such as mistitling an inferior oil that doesn’t live up to the quality specifications of extra virgin or virgin.
Some Olive Oil Facts
An average Italian consumes about 15 liters of olive oil a year.
All oil for the table and cooking is cold pressed.
Extra Virgin oil passes all the tests for color, taste, and aroma.
Extra Virgin is eaten with bread, on legumes and salads, and with fish.
The nutrients in Extra Virgin olive oil have been found to benefit numerous health conditions, including heart disease and diabetes.
The quality “Virgin” is also oil from the first pressing of the fruit, but of a lower quality.
The “Virgin oil,” which is of a slightly lower quality, has a higher tolerance for heat and is used in cooking.
Green olives from an early harvest give the oil a stronger flavor.
Later harvests, when the fruit darkens, gives a mellower oil.
Olive Oil: “This Much”
Anna, a good friend, was at the stove, hovering over a pot of soup made from the stems of the artichokes that she had stuffed, and that she would serve as our meal’s second course. She is an exceptional cook, and I’m always interested in her recipes. Curios as usual, I asked how much oil she used in the broth. She made a gesture with her hand as though she was pouring. “This much,” she said, and then with a broad smile raised her hand again. Holding her elbow up high she turned her head away and said, “and then this much.” I understood that it was a lot but never seemed to be too much.