Olive Oil: Which Has The Best Flavour?

[cachimbero]

I hear you. I too try to use as little fat as possible. These fad diets that say it is OK to eat as much of certain fats as you want sound entirely like, "I know this is what you want to hear, so I'll tell you what you want to hear." God forbid the answer might be show a little restraint and strike a balance.

With olive oil, how can you know if it is the real deal? You really can't. Does avoiding the likely hand of the mafia make it 100% secure? I don't know. Maybe a wee bit of peace of mind? I wouldn't mind only using only Napa Valley stuff, but I haven't made that line in the sand.

I think nowadays certified first press olive oil guarantees it is just that. Unless it is a falsification.

 

[cachimbero]

I think nowadays certified first press olive oil guarantees it is just that. Unless it is a falsification.

I should have added cold: cold first press, what we call extra virgin.

 

[Zeno Marx]

I think nowadays certified first press olive oil guarantees it is just that. Unless it is a falsification.

If I understand the reporting accurately, nothing really guarantees olive oil purity. There's so much organized crime involved at various levels that nobody can be sure, unless you're maybe buying at the farm's kiosk. Speaking of Spain, Italy, Greece, etc. Isn't the same thing is happening in Mexico with tequila and cartels? They've taken control of the agave fields, and now nobody knows for 100% certainty what they're drinking.

 

[Buckeyestime]

Apparently, there's an olive oil bar in Wisconsin. You go there, and get flights of olive oil to drink. Seriously. It's a thing.

No thanks.

I have been to one in California and one in Florida. Both times they had 20 plus styles and flavors with little shot glasses and small cubes of bread. Pretty neat way to taste new flavors and styles. I prefer the fruitier flavor, both natural and with add ins.

 

[FLDRD]

Fats / oils are extremely healthy and necessary for proper physiology.
Not all oils are equal. Trying to do a "low fat diet" is extremely poor advice, missing the point entirely.
Quality of fats and oils make all the difference in the result of consumption.
In most cases, if you can be assured your choice is also organic, you're doing yourself a great favor.
I enjoy the subtle differences in taste from different olive oils, and prefer them directly on my food, unheated.
Coconut oil and butter - as mentioned earlier - has a higher flash point and I use them with heat.
And I attempt to utilize organic in more instances than not in most of my choices.

 

[andrew]

My ex is one quarter Greek (Mavromatis) and she told me that her father just drizzled it onto toast, and if feeling extravagant he'd sprinkle a little cinnamon on too.

Not sure that would work with the oil I currently have though it works a treat on salads.

Jay.

This is the same in Spain, bread is served with a plate you pour olive oil and balsamic vinegar if you please, and you dip your bread in it. They don't use butter really

 

[canucklehead]

I was just at the new Italian Center location (Sherwood Park, if you are in the Edmonton area) with some guys from my church, and took a picture the olive oil shelf:

Vinegar:

Some of the cheeses:

Snack time:

 

[karam]

I haven't found this to be true. For instance, I picked up some EVOO from Sam's Club a couple years ago, and I noticed residue in my skillets. It took me a while to figure out it was the EVOO and not too much heat or the foods etc. When I switched to another brand, it no longer happened. I've also ran into this here and there with EVOO from Aldi. Now before you say, "of course, you're buying the cheap stuff!" It served to teach me a lesson that they aren't all indeed created equal, and some of them even have oddball additives that don't cleanly burn off. I don't even want to know the garbage they're putting into some of these.

Napa Valley has some great EVOO. Some of these spice specialty stores also specialize in olive oil and will let you test them. If you haven't been into a spice store because...why do I need that?...maybe give them a quick visit to see if they also have oils.

Generally speaking, olive oil is not very resistant to heat like other oils. Greeks never fry with olive oil, it gives a heavy taste and ruins the taste of the oil. Extra virgin, unfiltered will have cloudiness and maybe a residue, these are larger fats and waxes which literally turn to plastic with heat and taste very bad. This doesn’t mean they are bad to consume, in fact some Italians I know consider perfectly transparent oil a bad sign of over processing.

@cosmicfolklore I hear ya. I recall you’d written that French wines and Cuban cigars taste “like foot”, I guess you mean the earthiness? Dunno cigars or wines, but get the essence of what you said, that not everyone needs to like everything, no matter how highly regarded. We went to Paris for Christmas and after 3-4 days I had enough of French bakeries - the croissants etc do taste amazing, you can really taste the butter in them in a way I never tasted before - but before long I had enough of French food. I needed something FRESH and simpler. I like how the French use and showcase ingredients but felt they a) overdo it, b) complicate it. Maybe it’s because I’m Greek but I prefer the Mediterranean way of cooking, keeping it simpler and fresher. Best food I EVER had (and this is high compliment from a discerning pig like me) was in Tuscany.

 

[mawnansmiff]

if you are in the Edmonton area

I'm booking my flight right now, that looks like my kind of deli.

Jay.

 

[karam]

I'm booking my flight right now, that looks like my kind of deli.

Jay.

If you find yourself in Cambridge make yourself a favour and visit The Cambridge Cheese Company. I used to drool at it as a student but everything was too expensive, then later as an employee I could buy some of the delicacies they stock. Try Gjetost if you find it, it's a one of a kind taste.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Try Gjetost if you find it

If there is one cheese I cannot abide it is goat's cheese. I'll happily eat goat meat but the cheese tastes and smells just like the billy goat we used every year to impregnate our nanny goat. When he saw her arrive he piddled all over himself (apparently that's normal) and ever since I have been put off goat cheese due to that stink!

Jay.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Generally speaking, olive oil is not very resistant to heat like other oils. Greeks never fry with olive oil, it gives a heavy taste and ruins the taste of the oil. Extra virgin, unfiltered will have cloudiness and maybe a residue, these are larger fats and waxes which literally turn to plastic with heat and taste very bad. This doesn’t mean they are bad to consume, in fact some Italians I know consider perfectly transparent oil a bad sign of over processing.

@cosmicfolklore I hear ya. I recall you’d written that French wines and Cuban cigars taste “like foot”, I guess you mean the earthiness? Dunno cigars or wines, but get the essence of what you said, that not everyone needs to like everything, no matter how highly regarded. We went to Paris for Christmas and after 3-4 days I had enough of French bakeries - the croissants etc do taste amazing, you can really taste the butter in them in a way I never tasted before - but before long I had enough of French food. I needed something FRESH and simpler. I like how the French use and showcase ingredients but felt they a) overdo it, b) complicate it. Maybe it’s because I’m Greek but I prefer the Mediterranean way of cooking, keeping it simpler and fresher. Best food I EVER had (and this is high compliment from a discerning pig like me) was in Tuscany.

I don’t remember ever disparaging French wines or Cuban Cigars. I collect quite a few French wines, I may have said that French wines weren’t necessarily the “best” in the world of wines. And, before a member here sent me quite a few Cuban cigars, I would have said that I preferred Nicaraguan cigars. But, I don’t remember saying they sucked. I like a variety of cigars these days, even a few cheap ones.
But, I’ve just never been an olive connoisseur. Olives in general just aren’t my thing. The more olivey, an oil tastes, the less I like it.
However, I do like Mediterranean cooking. The style anyway. I may pick around the olives. Ha ha. But, I wouldn’t complain. The best chefs in my area are all Greek. Even the French foods here are made by Greeks. Hell, the best bbq here are made by Greeks.

 

[Sigmund]

Goats cheese is an acquired taste. I’ve learned to enjoy it but my preference tends to be towards cow or sheep…of course there are blends of dairy too. I moved to France for the cheese! The wines are good but you need to try a lot. There are so many and they vary a lot depending on region and house. The price of good wine is also low here. Starting at about 8to10 you get a reasonable wine. 10-12 quite good. You can pay more but that doesnt mean you will like it more. Ive had plenty at ten that I like more than some at double. Unlike the US a 25 buck wine is by most considered fairly expensive. Not luxury but for general consumption that’s high.

 

[karam]

If there is one cheese I cannot abide it is goat's cheese. I'll happily eat goat meat but the cheese tastes and smells just like the billy goat we used every year to impregnate our nanny goat. When he saw her arrive he piddled all over himself (apparently that's normal) and ever since I have been put off goat cheese due to that stink!

Jay.

Just check it out It’s not really a cheese, it’s very slowly condensed and caramelised whey, and has a caramel, smokey, and slightly cheese/milk taste. I never got any whiff of goat taste from it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I love eating goat in any form, but not the cheese. It is just too goaty even for me, and I used to have a goat.

Now sheep... I could stock the fridge with real sheep feta. Love the stuff.

 

[OzPiper]

If there is one cheese I cannot abide it is goat's cheese. I'll happily eat goat meat but the cheese tastes and smells just like the billy goat we used every year to impregnate our nanny goat. When he saw her arrive he piddled all over himself (apparently that's normal) and ever since I have been put off goat cheese due to that stink!

Jay.

How strong it tastes depends on a few factors especially how long the cheese has been aged.
Freshly made goats cheese is surprisingly mild
Some years ago I was at a farmers market in France and bought one.
Tasted a small piece and finally threw the rest out after it sat untouched in the fridge for 4 days.
It smelt and tasted like it had been stored and matured in the goat pen

Sheep’s milk cheese is much milder
There are also cheese made from a mix of cow and goat’s milk (and sometimes with sheep milk) which may be a good introduction to the delights of chèvre.

 

[huntertrw]

This one:

So far as I know, she's extra virgin, too!

 

[mawnansmiff]

My latest shopping delivery arrived yesterday and amongst the boring stuff was an expensive (relatively) bottle of Spanish Picual E/V oil. I let it get to room temperature and tasted it and was rather nonplussed.

It wasn't bad, it just didn't taste much different to my regular oil

I'll try some Greek oil next time.

Jay.

 

[admin]

My go-to is ROI Ogliarola-Taggiasca First Cold Pressed EVOO from Liguria Italy. It is harvested once a year, usually around October, and has a "Best Before" date. 100% Italian olives. It is the olive oil that was featured in the Netflix documentary, Salt Fat Acid Heat.

 

[Sigmund]

In the summer I sit with my pipe under a giant olive tree. Sadly you cant use the olives unless you spray for olive flies regularly and it is way too big but its a great by my terrace.