Olive Oil Flavor
The rich flavor of Olive Oil
For well over 6,000 years people worldwide have enjoyed the rich fragrance and flavor of olive oil. With dozens of brands of olive oil now found on the shelves of supermarkets, consumers are starting to take notice of the quality of the olive oil that they buy, almost as much as people buying fine wines do.
Olive oil tasting has become an activity to rival wine tasting, and tasters use the same terminology with olive oil as they do with wine. Aromas may be mild, mellow or fruity; flavor can be nutty, zesty, peppery, sweet, rich, buttery or assertive; and appearance may be clear, cloudy, green or amber. Olive oil differs from wine in that it does not age well, and a bottle kept in a cool, dark area will remain good for only a year or two.
Listed below is a guide to the various grades of olive oil in descending order of quality:
Extra virgin: This grade of olive oil is the result of cold-pressing olives and not refining the resulting oil. Extra virgin olive oil has an acidity level below one percent, although acidity and taste will vary with the type of olive plant, soil, growing and harvesting methods, and pressing process. A more robust flavor can be achieved by using unfiltered extra virgin olive oil. When using extra virgin olive oil, you should use the less expensive varieties to sauté foods while saving the more expensive types for drizzling.
Virgin: Virgin olive oil has a slightly sharper taste than extra virgin olive oil. This is due to it having an acidity value of between one and three percent. It is rare to find this grade of oil being sold in the United States.
Pure: Pure olive oil typically has an acidity level greater than three percent. It is further processed with various chemicals and bleaching clay before being mixed with virgin olive oil to arrive at the final product.
Light: Light olive oil actually contains as many fats and calories as the other grades of olive oil. Its only difference is a lack of taste.
olive oil flavor
Technorati Tags: olive oil flavor
