EVOO...Extra Virgin Olive Oil please ...

This trip through Spain has turned into a learning experience.... not just about history and culture but also about many things that are associated with Spain.... and yes I'm talking about olive oil. 

Now the general knowledge is that olive oil comes from, well Italy, right?  Ahhh but this is were that thing called Marketing comes in.... actually a very large percentage of the olives that go into the "Italian" olive oil comes from Spain. Most olive oils are blended from a variety of olives and Spain is the largest producer of olive oil.  

Yep, but the Marketing machine in Italy has created this idea that it is Italian olives.  Now I'm sure there are olive farms in Italy, without a doubt but even those use many of the olives that come from Spain and are mixed in with the Italian olives... interesting little bit of trivia there.

So here we are between Sevilla and Cordoba in an olive farm where we learn how to the process of olive oil.

They start the harvest anywhere from September through December and a few things will determine if the olive oil becomes extra virgin oil, EVOO, as its typically referred to or just virgin olive oil.  One big factor is when the olives are picked and that becomes tricky as they need to ripen or the oil will be bitter.  Wait too much and the oil is too sweet.  Very ripen olives will produce more oil but they won't be of quality for EVOO.  Temperature, location, trees will vary the output of the harvest for the year and when the picking should occur. So a balance in when to pick the olives is key and of great debate between farmers. The second is the amount of acidity in the oil, the less acidity the better quality of the oil hence the "extra" virgin oil classification.



The olives are picked by a tractor/machine the grabs the trunk and shakes it very hard and the olives fall down into a net surrounding the tree.  They need to be pressed within 24 hours of harvesting as oxidation begins immediately.  They are then cleaned, and stems, leaves are removed before putting them into the grinder.  Into the grinder the olives go and they are grinded, seeds and all, into a paste. The mixing of this paste releases the oil which is then separated and any sediment remaining in the oil is removed. The oil is then sampled tasted and given its classification.

One thing that is very detrimental to the oil is light, including fluorescent lighting.  So the bottle should be dark such as green, dark blue, amber or black.  Don't judge the quality of the oil by its color.  Some EVOO might actually be a little darker than just virgin oil.  The color will depend on the brand and should not be a determining factor in selecting the oil.  When tasting the EVOO, it will be light with no taste of dirt or oily taste.  Sometimes you can taste very lightly a citrusy flavor or apple or vanilla.  The olives pick up the flavoring from the nearby trees and you will be able to taste it in the oil every so lightly. 
Keep in mind when storing your oils to keep it in the coolest part of your kitchen or pantry preferably on the bottom shelf.