Since I started selling extra virgin olive oil, I regularly receive photos via WhatsApp showing a bottle of olive oil from the supermarket, with the question why that olive oil is cheaper than the olive oil that I sell in my webshop. I then explain that it mainly depends on the quality of the oil and the production process. Due to the high demand for this "Spanish gold", there is a whole industry behind it and unfortunately due to ignorance of quality there is a lot of misunderstanding but also unfortunately abuse. In this blog I want to go into this in a little more depth.
What makes extra virgin olive oil so popular?
To better understand why olive oil is so popular, I want to tell you a little more about olive oil. What everyone knows is that olive oil is produced by pressing olives, the fruits of olive trees. It has been used for centuries in Mediterranean cuisine because of its taste and enormous health benefits. For example, olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats, antioxidants and vitamin E, which makes it incredibly healthy.
In this blog, by “supermarket olive oil” I mean the refined olive oil types that are usually for sale in the supermarket under names such as “olive oil”, “normal olive oil”, “mild olive oil”, “classic olive oil” etc. When it says on the bottle "extra virgin olive oil" or "extra virgin olive oil" you can assume that you are buying good quality olive oil.
What is the difference between supermarket olive oil and extra virgin olive oil?
You will soon be able to find regular olive oil in most supermarkets and it is an affordable option because it is produced in large quantities. However, extra virgin olive oil is at the top of the olive oil hierarchy due to its quality, taste and follows strict quality characteristics. The difference can be divided into the following elements
Manufacturing process:
- Supermarket olive oil: Often undergoes industrial processes where olives are harvested and pressed on a large scale. The pressing can be the second pressing, where remains of the first pressing are heated and sometimes also processed chemically.
- Extra virgin: it doesn't get more pure than this. The olives are often harvested by hand and then cold pressed (first pressing), without heating or chemical processes.
Quality
- Supermarket olive oil: this is often a mix of different olive oils, from different types of olives, regions and often countries. People are happy to pay a little more for Italian olive oil because of its charm. Not knowing that this is often a blend with Spanish olive oil. Italy is the largest importer of Spanish olive oil worldwide.
- Extra virgin: this must meet the strictest requirements and standards. It may have a low acidity of maximum 0.8%. More about this on my page about my olive oils .
Taste :
- Supermarket olive oil: the flavor can vary, but is often very mild and lacks the complexity and depth of extra virgin olive oil.
- Extra virgin: the taste is much more complex with notes of fruit, herbs and a light pepper. If it is really good olive oil, you will also feel it burn in the back of your throat, due to the large amount of polyphenols. A nice bridge to health aspects
Health
- Supermarket olive oil: just like extra virgin olive oil, this contains monounsaturated fats, but will contain much fewer antioxidants, which partly reduces the health benefits.
- Extra virgin: is rich in antioxidants and unsaturated fatty acids with demonstrable health benefits. Including reducing inflammation and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. At a tasting last summer, my hostess referred to it as "natural aspirin."
Why choose extra virgin?
As I explained in this article, the taste experience, health benefits and quality are much better. It will certainly also be a culinary delight for gourmets and enthusiasts.
However, this also has an impact on the price of olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is therefore often more expensive than supermarket olive oil. However, it is well worth the investment, knowing that a bottle will last quite a while.
To avoid a "we at toilet duck, recommend toilet duck" impression, renowned programs and authors say the same thing. My personal favorite is the Inspection Service of Values and explain their opinion on olive oil in this article .
Unfortunately, however, there are also abuses on the market. Informed circles, among others, wrote about this. This morning I came across this YouTube documentary that really shocked me:
(copyright: Johny Harris)
Extra virgin olive oil from Casa Gomez
Fortunately, the olive oil I sell is all extra virgin and I have received the necessary certifications for this from my suppliers. I have a good relationship with my suppliers and have been able to see with my own eyes where the olives grow, where they are pressed and bottled. That is also the nice thing about family who work on this every day.
It gives me a good feeling that I can guarantee that the olive oil I sell is really extra virgin and can also guarantee through "denominacion de origen" that the olive oil is produced in the Sierra de Segura and that the olive oil from Señorios de Relleu meets the quality characteristics of extra virgin olive oil.
I apologize in advance if you ask me what the differences are between the olive oils that I sell, and I answer that my "entry-level olive oil" is already of the highest quality. The difference in the quality of the olive oil that I sell is mainly due to the time of harvest, which makes the extra virgin olive oil from the early harvest more exclusive than that from the regular harvest.
Would you like to know more about the olive oil I sell? Then take a look at my webshop or send me a message to info@casagomez.nl