OLIVES 101

Olive Oil Grades
Buying Tips
Popular Varieties
Facts
Terms of the Trade
A Short Story of Olives in California

RECIPES
Feast of the Olive
Other Olive Recipes

OLIVES 101

As children, olive oil was perhaps something we associated primarily with the cartoon character Popeye. But today, olive oil has become a staple ingredient in most of our kitchens. Much more healthful than most other oils, olive oil is high in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, which has led to its increasing popularity in American diets.

But as a consumer, you may be overwhelmed when faced with the growing spectrum of types, brands, grades, and prices. Is there really much difference? Are the highest priced oils always the best? How do you choose the “right” kind?

Though all olive oil comes from the pressing and crushing of olives, the processes used determine the type of olive oil extracted.

Olive Oil Grades

Extra virgin olive oil is the highest grade of olive oil. It undergoes the least amount of processing and is usually more expensive than other grades. Extra virgin olive oil must conform to four basic criteria: It must be from the mechanical extraction of olives, be cold pressed, exhibit an acidity level of less than 1%, and it must have a perfect taste.

Though extra virgin has the best flavor, once it is heated, it starts to break down, causing it to lose the flavor you’ve paid top dollar for. Therefore, extra virgin is best for salad dressings, marinades, drizzling over foods, or as a dip.

Virgin olive oil may contain some flaws in taste or acidity that keep it from extra virgin status. Some producers use heat or chemicals in addition to pressing machines during the refining process. This grade is usually much more economical than extra virgin and is sufficient for sautéing, grilling or frying.

Pure or 100% olive oil is a blend of low-quality virgin olive oils refined using mechanical, thermal and/or chemical processes. “Pure” refers to the fact that no other kinds of oil have been mixed with the olive oil. The most widely marketed grade of olive oil, it is a combination of extra-virgin oils and refined virgin oils and must have an acidity level of less than 1.5%. Like virgin olive oil, pure olive oil is a good choice for cooking.

After the first pressing, the debris may be pressed again, resulting in the lowest grade of olive oil, called pomace or sometimes olive-pomace oil. Some extra virgin may be added for flavor. This grade is mostly used in bulk food service and is not available to the general consumer.

Finally, there is light or extra light olive oil. These terms refer only to the color and taste and have nothing to do with fat or calories. This type may contain only a minute proportion, if any, virgin oils. Sometimes marketed in a way that makes consumers think the oil has less calories than virgin olive oil, the caloric content is still 125 calories per tablespoon. Yet, because the olive flavor is very mild, light olive oil is great for baking or cooking when you don’t want to detect an olive taste.
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Buying Tips

1. Make sure to look for a date on the bottle. A harvest date is the best information, which tells when it’s been bottled. If you can’t find a harvest date, a “best used before” date is also helpful.

2. Buying olive oil in large quantities is not recommended. Unlike wine, olive oil does not get better with age. Rather, it deteriorates and spoils. The shelf life of most olive oils is 12-18 months, but the flavor peaks within 2-3 months after harvest. Lower grades of oil have a shorter shelf life than extra virgin varieties because of their higher acidity levels. To prolong the freshness of olive oil, make sure to seal the bottle tightly after each use, and store in a cool, dry location, never on a sunny windowsill, where it will oxidize quickly. Olive oil should not be refrigerated as condensation may occur which can spoil the flavor of the oil.

3. Don’t go by packaging. A fancy bottle sometimes contains just average oil. Look for color--the best is a nice yellow with a hint of green. This indicates the olives were picked late in the season when they were black and ripe. The best olive oils should taste smooth, with a wonderful, fruity, olive taste.

4. Purchase according to regional flavor preferences. Because the growing conditions and region affect taste, knowing where an olive oil is from can give a general idea of the flavor. Tuscan oils are usually rich and fruity with peppery tones, while oil from southern Italy tastes more delicate and mellow. Spanish oils typically have a full-bodied fruitiness with a slight bitterness. Greek oils are usually robust and assertive. Sonoma Valley oils tend to have a fresh, buttery flavor.
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Popular Olive Varieties

Pitted Kalamata - One of the more popular black olive varieties, commonly found on Greek salads. They have a pronounced, powerful olive flavor and high salt content. And since there are no pits, they are easy to eat.

Gaeta - Plump, dark purple Italian olives with very tender, almost melt-away texture. On the naturally sour side, but cured and stored in brine.

Provençal - A medium-green French olive, marinated in fragrant herbs de Provence (a mix of basil, lavender, thyme, fennel, savory, rosemary). The herbs hit you in the nose first, followed by the olive and salt flavors. An interesting balance of herbal aroma and olive taste.

Picholine - A slender, full-flavored green olive from the south of France. Sweet (as olives go) with a nice, crunchy texture.

Green Greek, cracked - Crunchy flesh, flavored with lemon and stored in vinegar. Good bowl or antipasto olive.

Moroccan, oil-cured - These black olives have a wrinkled, leathery surface from the dry salt curing process. Since they retain more of their natural bitterness, oil-cured olives are better for cooking than eating straight.

Spicy - Cracked green olives in a powerful chili pepper/vinegar marinade with the consistency of tomato sauce. The after-burn sits on your tongue for a spell and hurts real good. Toss with pasta for a quick pepper fix.

Jalapeño stuffed - Huge, crisp green California olives cured Sicilian-style and stuffed with pickled jalapeño. Both flavors remain distinct and complement each other nicely without either dominating. A great alternative martini olive or accompaniment for tequila.

Garlic stuffed - Always save the best for last. Another good martini olive, it's the same California Colossal olive stuffed with a pickled garlic clove. If you like garlic, you'll want to inhale a pound in a single sitting. Especially good during the cold and flu season, but if you're in close quarters, make sure everyone gets a taste.
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Facts

Terms of the Trade

Storage
Perfect storage conditions are essential for the protection of olive oil from its worst enemies--light, heat and air, which can cause irreparable damage to the chemical and sensory characteristics of even the finest extra virgin oil.

Crushing
The oil in olives is contained in special cells mainly in the pulp and pit. In the first stage of processing, they are crushed to release the oil. During this phase, the oil and the water contained in the olives (50%) emulsify. The prolonged mixing of the paste, at a constant temperature, breaks down the emulsion and causes the minute drops of oil to combine into a large mass which will be more easily separated in subsequent phases. This operation is called kneading.

Clarification
The oil extracted from the paste still contains emulsified water, fruit particles and mucilage in suspension. These substances compromise the quality of the oil inasmuch as they promote oxidation, hydrolysis and fermentation. They are removed by processes of clarification.

Extraction
The olive paste contains a percentage of oil varying from 18% to 27%, which can be extracted with different methods. The yield, that is to say the quantity in weight of oil that can be extracted from 100 kg of olives, depends on the type of olives, on the amount of water received by the plant, on the fertilizing, on the harvesting system, and above all on the extraction technique.
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A Short History of Olives in California

Over 150 years ago, as the Franciscans marched north establishing missions in California, they also planted olive groves. Many of these older groves still exist. Most are in Northern California. Southern Californian population and housing pressures have put the farmers out of business. There are many isolated trees or fragments of old groves but the land is too expensive for large scale olive growing.

Extra-virgin olive oil descriptive words for sidebar if necessary
Official words used to describe extra-virgin olive oil:
Almond, apple, bitter, metallic, muddy, sediment, musty-humid, old, pressing mat, pungent, rancid, rough, soapy, sweet, vegetable water, winey-vinegary
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RECIPES

Since its inception in 2001, the Sonoma Valley Olive Festival has drawn participation from many of Sonoma's most exciting culinary talents, including chefs from Café LaHaye, Carneros Restaurant, Saddles, the girl & the fig, Sonoma Meritage Restaurant, Jimtown Store, and Deuce, to name just a few!

Enjoy the recipes that follow—all created for the Olive Festival.

Recipes that are part of the 2006 Feast of the Olive on January 21, 2006

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