DEC.JAN 2014
VII
At pAge 22
Extra Virgin Olive
Oil, not all are the
same
It’s the main ingredient of the
Italian cuisine.
Here is a brief annotated guide
about how to orient the choice
and not to be enveloped by the
chimeras of the low price.
by Mariella Boni
We can also call it “green gold”,
and rightly so. The oil is a product
that for centuries characterized the
Mediterranean food culture, with
evidence that trace the presence of
olive trees since biblical times.
The olive tree is a symbol for
excellence and the oil has always
been considered valuable enough to
be used for sacred ceremonies. If the
Greeks had already cataloged a dozen
varieties of olive trees, the Romans,
fine merchants, it seems even had a
“bag” of the oil, which was divided
into 5 different quality, as assessed
by the degree of maturity and health
of the olives. Two parameters still
valid today, to define the qualities
of a good extra virgin olive oil, an
ingredient that appears between the
foundations of the “food pyramid” of
the Mediterranean diet, recommended
as the best way of eating as possible.
There is oiL and oiL.
Italy is one
of the most important markets for the
oil: according to data from April 2013
to Unaprol (Consortium of Italian olive
oil,
), in 2012 in the Bel
Paese have been sold more than 217
million gallons of oil, of which olive
oil is 72%, while the remainder if the
divide olive oil , a more generic oil
“brand 100% Italian” oils with DOP and
IGP certification and those biological,
that although growth still represent a
small share of the market (about 1%).
As well known, not all of this oil,
however, is of domestic origin: many
imports are made by large producing
countries, particularly Spain, Greece,
Tunisia, Portugal, making it especially
important to read the labels of
the various products in order to
understand the origin, quality, type
and characteristics of the product.
Many are in fact the information that
we can provide the label, even if
sometimes it is not easy to identify the
really essential.
The data on the origin are required
and must indicate whether it is the
product of Italian, European, non-
European or mixed: origin, which in
itself is not automatically an indicator
of the quality of the product. The more
certainty about the origin can be had
by purchasing extra virgin olive oil
DOP, since obtaining a brand name
may be assigned to productions where
the entire production cycle, from raw
material to finished product, is carried
out within the geographical bounded.
Much the same for extra virgin
olive oil IGP Toscano: a dedicated
consortium ensures each bottle with
his signature, verifying the entire chain
of production, strictly made in Tuscany,
from the plant to the packaging. Even
the place of bottling must be indicated
and the label may possibly bring back
the varieties (cultivars) of olives used:
in Italy there are many, about 350,
and the oil can be mono-cultivar, or
obtained from only one type of oil,
in general with flavors extreme forms
and details, or be the result of a blend
of various types of oil, expertly mixed
by producers to obtain a product with
constant characteristics over time.
Finally, the color, which is not a
parameter of the distinctive excellence
of oil: This can vary from yellow
to clear green bottle, but it is the
fundamental fact on which to evaluate
the taste.
orienT choices
. How do you
choose, therefore, an extra virgin olive
oil, if you want a quality product?
We spoke with Riccardo Cassetta,
director of Biolevante, historic
company from Puglia that stands
out among the many Italian ones,
because to boast the complete chain of
production, starting from the fields to
get to bottling. Portfolio in a company
that has over a hundred oil products (
) .
“If with a virgin one, we want to be
sure of the origin, we must move
towards products with a designation
and, in any case choosing a 100%
Italian product, which is usually a
