Olive Oil
Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the olive (Olea europaea L.), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is used in cooking, cosmetics, soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps. Olive oil is regarded as a healthful dietary oil because of its high content of monounsaturated fat (mainly oleic acid) and polyphenols. (Wikipedia)
Olive oil is one of the most important product in Mediterranean diet. Thanks to its chemical composition and to its organoleptic features, olive oil is very nourishing. This is why in 2004 FDA stated olive oil's producers may place on product labels this claim:
Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about two tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.
Olive oil is classified in many categories, depending on level of acidity.
- Extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil.
- Virgin olive oil has an acidity less than 2%, and judged to have a good taste. There can be no refined oil in virgin olive oil.
- Olive oil is a blend of virgin oil and refined virgin oil, containing at most 1% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.
- Olive-pomace oil is a blend of refined pomace olive oil and possibly some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but it may not be called olive oil. Olive-pomace oil is rarely found in a grocery store; it is often used for certain kinds of cooking in restaurants.
- Lampante oil is olive oil not used for consumption; lampante comes from olive oil's ancient use as fuel in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.
Italian Olive Oil
Often, you can find olive oil "Imported from Italy", but this is just because it produces an impression that the olives were grown in Italy, although in fact it only means that the oil was bottled there. A corner of the same label may note that the oil was packed in Italy with olives grown in Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Tunisia.
It's not easy to find real italian olive oil, made with olives grown in Italy. And you can be sure that if olive oil costs less than 6€ a liter, it's not really italian, but just bottled in Italy.
This is a problem, both for consumers and for producers of real italian olive oil. But high quality italian virgin olive oil will be available as soon as possible on a gourmet shop where you can find and buy the best italian food. Inari.it will deliver its delicious products (including, of course, italian olive oil) in Europe.