Depending on the olive, the color of extra-virgin olive oil varies from chartreuse to yellow-green.

On a recent trip to Puglia we learned some down and dirty little secrets you should know next time you’re shopping for olive oil. First, Italy does not produce enough olives for all the olive oil it exports. This means lots of olive oil from Italy is blended with — gasp — oils from other countries, like Greece and Spain. These countries produce excellent olive oil, but it’s not Italian. Sneaky manufacturers get away with this by bottling the foreign oil in Italy, so make sure to check that the oil is made from olives grown and pressed in Italy if you’re aiming to splurge on Italian.

Another revelation: Cold-pressed extra-virgin is the only way to go. Here’s why: Extra-virgin olive oil is the gorgeous, green goo released when the olives are pressed for the first time in the fall (the best time to buy your oil). Since heat can mar the oil during pressing, you want no heat or hot machinery used to squeeze the olives. This first cold pressing releases a rich, grassy oil brimming with nutrients and disease-fighting compounds, such as cancer-fighting antioxidants. Believe it or not, mills sell the remaining pulp (mashed olives and pits) to companies that press it a second, third and maybe even fourth time, using chemical solvents to extract lower-quality oil. Yuck!

Finally, three things can turn your oil rancid, resulting in an “off” odor and bitter taste: sunlight, heat and oxygen. To avoid sunlight and heat, store your olive oil in a dark, cool place, such as a cupboard, and not on top of your stove. To avoid oxidation, buy your extra-virgin olive oil in small bottles, so you can use it up and replace it every month or so.

We always enjoy learning something new about our favorite ingredients. What kind of olive oil is in your cupboard?

Photo credit: Ivan Bajic

Tags: Argei, Biology, Botany, chemical solvents, Cooking oils, Food and drink, foreign oil, grassy oil brimming, Greece, Hospitality/Recreation, hot machinery, Italy, Ivan Bajic, lower-quality oil, Mediterranean cuisine, Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, oil, Olive, olive oil, Olive oil extraction, Olives, Spain, Vegetable oils