Every cook knows that when a recipe calls for olive oil, extra virgin is the best way to go; specially the Greek ones (at least for my taste). The basic theory is that extra virgin olive oil is more expensive than regular olive oil because it comes from the first press of the olive, before they add heat and chemicals to the process; thus resulting in better quality and taste. So we thought.
Believe it or not, the current Greek financial crisis is having a huge impact in the cost of imported extra virgin olive oil. Why? Because they are the biggest producer of it; followed by Spain and Italy. So, as they struggle to fix their financial crisis by exporting themselves out it, their exports have become more expensive than they used to be. And olive oil is not an exception. Even though they are the top producers of extra virgin olive oil, they are not the top consumers of it. Italy and Spain are. And even though Italy and Spain produce their own extra virgin olive oil, they can’t produce it fast enough to meet demand. So what they do, they import it from Greece. As the result of this dominoes effect, the price of imported extra virgin olive oil from Spain and Italy has also significantly gone up.
So what options do we have? Thankfully, wine producers out of California started to experiment with the production of extra virgin olive oil in the 80′s. Producers began using their own trees and also began to import trees from Italy. The result, a new breed of olive oil. Later in 1992, the California Olive Oil Council was created and developed a seal certification program to set standards for extra-virgin olive oil. The oil then became subject to a series of tests, including a tasting by a blind folded panel of judges. If the oil passes the tests, then the producer can affix a seal to the bottle stating that it is extra-virgin.
The difference between the olive oil from California and the ones produced in other parts of the world is that the one from California is a blend of different olives; resulting in a wide variety of profiles with unique flavors. Like with wine, olive oil producers in California have come a long way and in 1997 the Ridgely Everss DaVero extra-virgin olive oil (http://www.davero.com/oils), won the first blind tasting of an American olive oil in Italy. More awards followed by other producers and now the Californian extra virgin oil occupies a very respectful market position and at a very affordable price.
Today, the production of olive oil in California is an industry by itself, with more brands going to market every year; even including a new generation of store branded olives oils more affordable but of lesser quality.
At the end of the day, choosing the right olive oil is like choosing the right wine. Is not that complicated; with so many options available, follow your taste and you will not go wrong. Experiment a little and you will see that you are going to end up with an assortment of olive oils in your pantry; mixing and matching them with different recipes and dishes.
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Comments on: "E V O O and the global economy" (1)
I live in a part of california where we do have olive oil production. In fact just next month we’re having an olive festival over at the local olive mill. Some of the best tasting olive oil I’ve had came from just right down the road from one of my uncles. I would definitely recommend olive oil from california.