Olive Oil - Artisan Quality Makes a Difference

We continue to hear and read all over the media that we should eat olive oil for all it’s health benefits. Those magic Polyphenols, an antioxidant, are said to do magic things, including lowering your cholesterol and dare I say, slowing down the aging process. So great, lets all eat lots of olive oil. Now how do you choose which one?

There are many olive oils available to you in the supermarket, the specialty stores, farmers markets etc. Some are very inexpensive while others cost a bit more. Have you ever wondered what the difference is between the store brand olive oil and the expensive bottle? If it’s all made the same way, from the same fruit, why would you pay more for the one on the higher shelf? If I told you that mass-produced 'lesser oils' are often manufactured using heat or chemical methods, which destroy the Polyphenols, the very thing those health folks are telling you to consume more of, would you consider paying a bit more? What if I told you there really is a difference in flavor?

When I taught in a culinary school, I did tastings several times per week, in which I lined up the same food item but from different sources, and olive oil was one of the items I used. I bought cheap store bought olive oil, some in between and at the end we tasted a couple varieties of what I feel are Artisan products. I witnessed the same thing each time. The students were amazed at how much better the Artisan EVO oil tasted and were even more excited when I talked about how lucky we are that many of these products are crafted right here in Northern California.

First, lets get some terminology out of the way. Virgin oil is oil that was processed using some mechanical method, like a press, rather than heat or chemicals. The word Extra is added if the oil is tested for purity from chemicals and has also passed for its quality of flavor. Unfortunately, there aren’t any current FDA regulations monitoring the use of these terms so what you buy as a commercial mass produced product may say Extra Virgin when it’s not. My suggestion to solve this is to focus on the amazing Artisan Olive Oil products available to us right here, locally, in Northern California. If you aren't from Northern California, jump online and have them shipped.

Bariani Olive Oil is one of my favorites. The business is family owned and operated with a passion for producing a quality product by a family right here in Sacramento. Emanuale Bariani explained, “We own the orchards, tend to them, pick, wash, crush the olives and store the olive oil in specially designed stainless steel tanks. To guarantee maximum freshness, we bottle only when demand arises, and both harvest and bottling dates are clearly printed on each bottle.” The Bariani bottles are clearly labeled with a harvest and a bottling date. By not bottling the oil until the demand calls for it, the Bariani family controls the quality and limits any normal deterioration that would occur after bottling but before it’s purchased. Can you image a major mass production company extending the process, limiting its production, all for the sake of quality? I can’t. Most major commercial oil suppliers are more interested in flooding the market with their product than protecting the quality.

Emanuele also explained that Bariani Olive Oil is considered Raw, which as you may have heard has become a major food movement in recent years, “We are well know in the Raw Food community because our olive oil is extracted only by mechanical means, without the use of heat and or chemicals. Quality is more important than yield and our customers understand that and are willing to be on 3-4 month waiting lists when we sell out of olive oil. The olive oil is also left unfiltered.” This translates to maximum flavor and maximum health benefit for you.

I asked Emanuele directly how they resisted the urge to cut corners to increase production to meet demand, he said, “We try to increase production every year by acquiring more orchards and planting new ones. Of course, this is a slow process and can't match the demand for the olive oil.” Exactly the answer I was hoping for, no cutting corners at Bariani!

Another company local to the Northern California region is Apollo Olive Oil, a name you will find on many restaurant menus, including Mulvaney’s B&L. Though a bit larger and using some state of the art milling techniques, Apollo still turns out a high quality product with all the integrity one would expect.

When asked what sets Apollo apart, Steve McCulley stated, "We strive for high quality rather than high yield. Each batch is tasted immediately as it is milled and adjustments are made to the milling process to produce the highest quality of flavor and maximum polyphenol extraction. Consequently, our product is not mass produced. We maintain this quality by not treating olive oil as a commodity but as a valuable food that is key to a healthy diet. To this end we have the only mill in the US designed to mill under vacuum to maximize flavor and polyphenol extraction. We mill our oil with the attitude that it is going to end up on our own kitchen table because it does end up there with great pleasure and satisfaction."

These producers are just some of the many Artisan Olive Oil farms in Northern California for you to discover. How can you be sure you are getting olive oil that contains all the nutrients the olive fruit has to offer? For starters, you can look for the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) logo on the bottle. This ensures the oil is Extra Virgin according to the International Olive Council (IOC) standards, something not all Extra Virgin olive oils measure up to.

Electing to belong to the COOC means the producer is voluntarily being held to the highest quality standards. To be deemed extra virgin, and to receive the right to use the COOC seal there are four basic criteria:

The oil must be extracted from olives free from any treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation, or filtration (no chemical processing)
It must be “cold-processed” (at a temperature less than 27 degrees centigrade)
It must not exceed certain oleic acidity levels (0.5% according to COOC, which is more stringent even than the IOC standard of 0.8%)
It must have an aroma and flavor judged as worthy by a certified panel of official tasters

The health benefits of Olive Oil are now known worldwide. Unfortunately, the average consumer isn’t aware that not all olive oils are created equal. With so many to choose from, deciding what to put on your family table can be a daunting task. During these tough economic times, we are all concerned about how we budget our money, but for me, the extra money I spend on high quality olive oil is worth it. I know people who cook with lower quality olive oils and use the higher quality oils for raw applications, such as salads, bread etc. For me, I just can’t be bothered with it. I buy a bottle and it lasts for a month or so, I make pizza, pour it on vegetables, bread, salad, everything. I figure if I eat out 1 less time per month, I have made up the difference in price.

In any case, I would encourage you to check out one of your local specialty stores or shop online. There are many high quality artisan producers out there. Based on the olive varietal, they all have different flavors, and I find McEvoy to be a bit more peppery, whereas Bariani is more sweet and round. Look for some of the smaller sized bottles to try them and see which one suits your taste the most, and if one makes you begin to age backwards, by all means, PLEASE let me know!! I wouldn't mind some of that!

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Olive Oil - Artisan Quality Makes a Difference
Wednesday, 12 August 2009