More on olive oil classification
By Reggie Aspiras,
Olive Oil is classified by the degree of acidity. The best are cold-pressed varieties:
Extra Virgin—the fruitiest, most flavorful and, obviously, the costliest of them all. It is a cold-pressed product of the first extraction/pressing of the olives, with 0.8-1 percent acidity. It comes in a myriad of colors from deep to golden green, to champagne.
In general, the darker the color, the deeper, the more reminiscent it is of the olive flavor, with exceptions, of course. But color does not necessarily reflect quality.
Virgin—First-press oil, good flavor and aroma with acidity not exceeding 2 percent
Refined—Containing the same chemical structure and the same amounts of monounsaturated fat as regular olive oil, the oil goes through a refining/filtration process. Refining reduces the acidity and makes the oil lighter in color and flavor. It is sometimes labeled as pure olive oil or light olive oil.
Fino—Blend of extra virgin and virgin oils
Olive oil—a combination of refined olive oil and virgin or extra virgin oil
[Source] Click here to continue
More infos + recipes
Posted
on
Wednesday, September 27th, 2006 at 9:53 am under
