Choosing the Right Italian Olive Oil for Your Culinary Needs
It may not seem like a difficult task in picking the right olive oil for your cooking needs, but in fact it's important to taste.
- The Different Regions of Italy and Their Olive Oils
- The Different Types of Olive Oils
- Which Olive Oil To Use For Best Tasting Foods
- The Final Word On Olive Oil
Where on Earth Does All of This Olive Oil Come From?
Olive oil, just as the name implies, comes from olives. Although produced throughout the whole of the Mediterranean, Italian Olive Oil is most well known. The regions throughout Italy produce many kinds of olive oil. In Tuscany the oils produced there are as sought after as the wines they make, creating fruitier and more robust oils. Umbria is the heart of olive oil production in Italy, creating intensely flavored oils in the mountain regions as opposed to coastal where the olive oil is sweeter. Marche and Abruzzo produces a much lighter olive oil than the other regions. Liguria creates oil with a strong character; it's also a low producing region which increases the value of the product. Puglia, Calabria and Sicily each produce very classic, full bodied olive oils.
What are the Different Kinds of Olive Oils?
First and foremost we must mention 'single-estate' olive oils. These oils are produced from a single kind of olive whereas most Italian olive oil is made from a blend of olives and sometimes from several varying regions. 'Virgin olive oil' is oil produces from the first pressing of an olive and 'Extra Virgin' is the same as the latter, but from an olive that is particularly low in acid. 'Pure' or simply plain olive oil, is made by using chemicals, further pressings and other methods to extract more oil out of the initial press. These oils are then blended to replace some of the flavor lost by the techniques used to yield more oil. In the Unite States you may find 'light' olive oil which is highly refined, taking out most of the fragrance, flavor and color.
So Many Oils, so what's Best for my Cooking??
In Italy, cooking is a labor of love, a time of family gathering. Olive oil is their chief export and is used in nearly every single dish of the culture. But out of all the olive oils on the market what is the best one to use? Flavored olive oils, or infused, are typically virgin or extra virgin in nature and would be very well suited in the making of salads. Simplistically speaking, just drizzle the oil onto the greens and toss. Cold pressed olive oil, particularly extra virgin, are best suited for your pasta dishes. Olive splash over pasta is an excellent combination. The oils add another level of flavors while maintaining textures in the dish itself it also is a great infuser, creating a robust sensation of flavors throughout your meal. Light olive oil is very nearly an exclusive product in the United States and features a high smoke point, meaning that it has a better chance of not burning at high temperatures. With a light olive oil taste it can be put to great use in emulsifying dressings, but is far better used if you're sautéing. Stir fry's especially can benefit from the use of light olive oil as butter can burn very easily.
Final Thoughts on Choosing Olive Oil for Your Table.
Regardless of whether or not you're making a salad dressing, pasta sauce or cooking vegetables at high temperatures there is nothing that compares to the robust flavors that Italian Olive Oil can produce within your cooking. Keep in mind what you wish to cook then decide the proper oil for the job.
