Olive Oils - Discover Practical And Nutritional Facts
By: Paul Zayer
Should I start using olive oils at home? Read more and many questions regarding olive oils will be answered here.
One of the oldest foods known to mankind comes from the olive tree, native to Mediterranean regions. The olive tree is mentioned frequently in the Bible, also in the Garden of Gethsemane and well-known in the Jewish custom, where the oil miraculously burned for eight days. Olive oils retain a prominent place these days, a subject of cooking delights, winning admiration from nutritionists as a healthy way to avoid cholesterol problems.
A lot of countries where olive trees thrive claim superiority in their locally produced olive oils. There exist various categories, with various uses suitable to a given gastronomic purpose. To the average cook, the subject of olive oils can get confusing. When do you use cold-pressed, extra virgin oil? To dress your salad perfectly, which kind of oils is suitable? And what is best for general cooking? Italian or Spanish? Let's try to sort out some of the mystery by taking a quick look at what's available.
All olive oils don't have cholesterol, which is a component found in almost every other kind of oil. So, when you choose olive oils, you know you're making a healthy diet choice.
Now let's talk about country of origin? Italy, Spain, Greece and France all have fertile olive producing areas, and vie with each other for the top rank in quality and purity.
The truth is that each olive growing region has soil and climate conditions, giving a distinctive character to the oils produced and has not much to do with an inherent level of quality that can be pinpointed as superior or inferior. Soil makeup and climate procure a unique essence, amounting to simple preference or affinity of particular oils to foods within the same locale.
The grading of olive oils is something else. The refinement of the product is defined by grading, mainly noticeable in the acidity.
The "extra virgin" label is designated to the first "cold" pressing of the olives. A maximum of 0.8% acidity is prescribed by this designation, appropriate for the finest salad dressing, where the top flavor of the cold pressing is recognised.
Oils named "virgin" are considered a lower grade, but still an acceptable salad dressing quality. Virgin olive oils may not contain more than 2% acidity, and must not contain refined oil. Virgin oils should not be wasted in cooking, as the subtle taste will be lost in cooking.
Products plainly labelled "olive oil" do not aspire to strong or refined taste and are best suited to cooking. Also, a label saying "100% pure" or "Imported from Italy" could be confusing, implying a degree of quality that is not justified. Such labels indicate the lower end of quality, composites of oils from several countries, suitable to frying without the fine distinctive flavours and low acidity of virgin olive oils.
Olive oil is a cult thing among cooks. It's important to understand the different class if you want to succeed in your cooking. In any case, don't forget that these oils have no cholesterol and it will be good for your heart to understand the fine points. So here you go, I am pretty sure that you will look at olive oils in a different way from now on. Take care of your health now, do not wait.
Article Source: http://www.ezarticles.info
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