Olive Oil

Most of us would have seen olive oil in supermarket shelves but felt confused by the different grading and types of olive oil available.In this post, I will try to reduce that confusion by talking about the different varities of olive oil available in India and when to use which type of oil.

Olive oil is mostly imported in India from Spain. Spain, Italy and Greece are together responsible for nearly 75% of the worldwide production of olive oil.Olive oil generally comes in four varities namely, extra virgin, virgin, pure and refined.These differ primarily in their processing and acidic content.Olive oil is extracted from it's fruit by pressing it. This extracted oil may sometimes have a high acidic content and unpleasant aroma and is therefore unpalatable.In this case, the oil needs to be further refined using chemicals or by other means.

Virgin olive oil comes from first pressing and is produced without refining.It has acidity less than 2% and is considered to have good flavour. It can be used in uncooked form.

Extra virgin olive oil is also obtained in same way as virgin olive oil.However it has acidity level of no more than 0.8% and is considered to be superior to virgin olive oil.It has a slightly fruity taste and is used uncooked.

Refined olive oil are ones that have been obtained by further refining virgin olive oil.Hence, they become clear, odourless and flavourless and have an acidity content below 0.3%.This gives them a long shelf life. Since they are completely flavourless, they are used only for low to mid-temperature frying. They cannot be used uncooked. Refined olive oil is rarely sold as-is and is generally blended with virgin olive oil to impart some flavour.

Pure olive oil is nothing but a blend of refined olive oil and virgin olive oil.The virgin olive oil is used to impart flavour and this type of olive oil can have an acidity content of not more than 1.5%. Generally, oils in this category contain about 85% refined olive oil and 15% extra virgin olive oil.Pure olive oil has a high smoke point and hence can be used for high temperature frying.

So now that we know the different types of olive oil, let's see when to use which type. Extra virgin and virgin olive oil can be used uncooked in salads, marinades or with bread. Pure and refined olive oil is generally used for frying purpose. Refined olive oil is produced in more abundance compared to virgin olive oil and hence is lot cheaper. Keeping all this in mind, it is best to stock your pantry with two types of olive oil - an extra virgin variety and pure olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil has lower shelf life and should be purchased in smaller quantities, say 250 ml at a time. For pure olive oil, keep an eye out for discount packages and festival offers, and you can purchase it in abundance.Since pure olive oil is mainly used for frying, it will get used up also very fast.Sometimes, you will even see extra virgin olive oil being sold in spray bottles. Buy this only if you are very conscious about the quantity of olive oil you use in your recipes.

This post cannot be complete without talking about the health benefits of olive oil.Olive oil is considered to be one of the most healthy oils, because of it's high mono-saturated fat content and relatively low saturated fat content.Olive oil helps in regulating cholestrol levels and keeps the heart healthy.

Enjoy cooking with Olive Oil !!