The True Taste of ItalyTo help us unravel some of the mysteries surrounding olive oil, we asked Alison Brown at specialist Italian suppliers Savoria for advice.
“Buying a second rate oil can easily end up ruining the very food you wanted it to improve”, says Alison. A good olive oil should subtly enhance the flavours of the specific dish, not distort or overpower them. We help our clients to make an informed decision, reassured by the fact that whichever oil they choose, they will be picking out a real gem – one of the finest oils produced in Italy.
This year, Savoria has selected oils from just three Italian regions: Tuscany, Puglia and Sicily. Like all natural products, extra-virgin olive oils vary enormously and show distinctly different characteristics: the olive variety, local soil and climate, type of cultivation, degree of ripeness, and harvesting and extraction methods all play a role in the oil’s quality.
Fruity and robust Tuscan extra virgin olive oils have long been the benchmark for premium Italian oils, but some Tuscan oils can be too assertive, with their greener, more herbaceous taste and legendary peppery finish. After lagging behind the rest of Italy for decades, the southern regions and Sicily are now boasting some of the most amazing oils. Puglia is practically an olive oil factory producing about 40% of Italy's total output. Not surprising as they use olive tree varieties that yield about 20 litres of oil, whilst a tree from Tuscany will yield only a litre or so. The vast majority of this oil is best left untouched but a few Puglian oils, especially from the Salento area, are full of ripe olive flavour and well worth your attention. Most of Sicily's olive oil is produced on the warmer, western side of the island, such as the area of Trapani – and it’s incredibly fruity, grassy and of exceptional quality.
All the oils we select are produced with a great deal of care and attention. The olives are grown in groves owned and tended by the artisan oil producers themselves. They are carefully hand picked direct from the tree and are taken immediately to be pressed using the traditional cold press system, which ensures the oil retains the maximum flavour and aroma of the olives.
Extra virgin olive oil has become a commonplace item in the kitchen but for those in the know one bottle is just not enough. No single oil is the ‘best’ – it’s a personal and subjective matter and, more importantly, each oil has its own characteristics that make it so special. Gourmets keep at least three different oils to hand, for dressing salads, drizzling over fried fish, dipping bread into, etc.
Just like wine, there is a time and a place for different oils - you wouldn't drink a Bordeaux with every dish you prepare so why would you use the same oil each time?
However, unlike wine, olive oil is best enjoyed when young and fresh, so it’s important that you buy only the most recently harvested and freshly bottled oils. When selecting an olive oil for a dish, consider the flavour and aroma of the oil - you want to complement rather than overwhelm the food. Also remember that when used raw, the taste of the oil is more pronounced.”