Olives101.com

By Peta Mathias, The olive oils you see in the supermarket vary in quality. Some are exceptional value for money but you really just have to buy and taste them to find (a) the best and (b) the one you like. You cannot tell what an oil is like by its colour – it gives [...]

• Says it guarantees extra virgin olive oil authenticity • Antidote to the trade in adulterated olive oil The California Olive Oil Council has launched a promotional campaign for its seal of certification for extra virgin olive oil following publication of a report laying out the problem of adulterated imported olive oil. The report, “Letter [...]

All olive oils have 14 grams of fat per tablespoon. Spain is the world’s largest producer of olive oil. Extra-virgin olive oil, the highest class of olive oils, is from the first pressing of the olive. It never comes into contact with chemicals or heat and is less than 1 percent acid. It has the [...]

Photography by Steve Brown, Recipe by Dixie Elliott, Ingredients: 3/4 cup tasty cheese, grated * 100g butter, softened 1 1/4 cups plain flour 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper 1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes 24 large semi-dried, tomato-stuffed green olives olive oil spray Method: Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine cheese, [...]

By Judy Schultz, Photo by Chris Schwarz, When I was little, olives were reserved for special occasions. Only New Year’s Eve and visiting priests rated stuffed olives, the queen of all pickles. The advent of Kraft Theatre on television moved olives down a notch or two on the specialness scale. Suddenly, everybody’s mom was using [...]

By Zoe Williams, Sales of extra-virgin olive oil hit a record £71m last year, which means it now accounts for more than 30% – the largest share – of the UK oil market. These figures have led some people to conclude that we’re adopting “a healthier, Mediterranean diet”. There are as many things wrong with [...]

By Martyn McLaughlin, It is revered by chefs as the finest olive oil money can buy, and now Britain’s consumers are choosing to drizzle with the extra virgin variety in record numbers. Sales of the oil reached an all-time high £71 million in the UK last year as Britons adopted a healthier Mediterranean diet. Despite [...]

By Bev Bennett, Different olive oils complement dishes. But when you’re reaching for oil to use in a salad dressing or for cooking, color isn’t the most important consideration. Instead you want oil that’s appropriate to your dish, says Alessio Carli, an olive oil and wine maker for Pietra Santa winery near Monterey Bay in [...]

By Sheila Keating, A firm, fruity olive is a beautiful thing, so why is it so hard to find? Purity of flavour is what olive-lovers crave, but frequently what is on offer is a plethora of antiseptic-tasting, flabby specimens, stuffed with synthetic pastes, or drenched with incongruous marinades. How do green and black olives differ? [...]

There are a sheer dizzying array of olives available on the market these days. And if you think there are just green olives and black olives, you’re right, but think again – it certainly is not that simple. The different olives from different parts are completely different in every way. In the Italian riviera you [...]