OLIVE
OIL - Part 2
What Does Olive Oil Mean?
Los Angeles Times
By Emily Green
Staff Writer
October 17 2001
The terminology surrounding olive oil is tortuous and will likely get
worse
before it gets better. Here are terms currently used by the International
Olive Oil Council and the California Olive Oil Council, along with
terms
likely to be required by the European Union.
* Olive Oil: If a label says nothing but this, it indicates oil that
has been
refined or "rectified" so it has no taste, no discernible defects,
good shelf
life and no more than 0.5% oleic acid. Enough unrefined oil is then
added to
give it flavor and color.
Suggestions that it be called "common," "basic" or "ordinary" to help
differentiate it from other grades of olive oil were rejected as derogatory
by producers. The European Union is now entertaining the more neutral
term
"standard." Whatever its final designation, it is a good basic cooking
oil
and accounts for as much as 80% of the oil consumed in Spain and Portugal.
*
Pomace Oil: Oil extracted with solvents from crush waste and sold in
various
states of refinement. The edible version, only occasionally seen in
U.S. food
shops, is called refined pomace oil.
* Virgin Olive Oil: Oil that has been picked and extracted from olives
using
methods that do not chemically change the oil. The European Union wants
to
change this term to "crude." Presently, there are three sub-categories,
as
follows:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Virgin olive oil with no more than 1% oleic
acid and
which is judged sufficiently free of defects by certified tasters.
The
mystique surrounding this grade is perhaps overblown. The European
Union
estimates that 70% of the olive oil produced by its 15 member states
is extra
virgin. The Italians, French and Greeks consume mainly this grade.
The
European Union is considering lowering the acidity figure to 0.8%.
Fine Virgin Olive Oil: Oil with no more than 2% acid.
Super Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A label suggested by Tuscans for a new
grade
created for olive oil with less than 0.5% acidity. The European Council's
expert advisors dismissed the suggestion as it would "soon include
almost all
oil at present in the 'extra virgin' category."
* Cold-Pressed: Only allowed on virgin and extra virgin olive oil. The
colder
and more artful the pressing, the more healthful and flavorful polyphenols
are retained during extraction. Extraction methods can involve ancient
revolving stones or teeth-like olive shredders, pummeling contraptions
or
centrifuges. Producers never tire of arguing about which technology
is
superior. However the oil is extracted, the point is doing it without
altering the oil. A hot press would do this and deny the oil "virgin"
status.
* First Pressing: An archaic term indicating the oil was not a pomace
oil or
chemically extracted. Applied to extra virgin olive oil, it is meaningless,
says California Olive Oil Council representative Roberto Zecca, because
oil
extracted in second pressings would not be "extra virgin."
* Dating: Some California olive oils are labeled with the year of production,
but this is not required by the California Olive Oil Council. By law,
European oils must be dated. Some of the best oils, such as the Sicilian
Ravida or the Tuscan Laudemio, spell out dates; for example "Harvest
December
1999, released Spring 2000." Others employ the Julian code, which consists
of
the year (two digits) and the day (three digits) from 001 to 365. So
oil
packed Jan. 5, 2001, would be indicated by 01005.
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