DIFFERENTIATING THE OILS:

In short, the Spanish know their olives and olive oils! But with over 260 cultivars in Spain and olive oil, virgin extra, virgin and other varieties, how do you know what to choose? Let’s take a look at the differences.

Virgin Olive Oils

A virgin olive oil has not undergone any chemical treatment or processing. It is obtained by mechanically (or another physical means) pressing the olives, and its basic properties are not modified. It’s a totally natural product that maintains the same biological and chemical properties of the olive, having not gone through any artificial processes. There are many classifications of Virgin Olive Oil depending on their taste, smell, and analytic characteristics. When we talk about acidity, we talk about the proportion of free fatty acids – not an acidic flavor.

	Extra Virgin Olive Oil – The best olive oil on the market with an acidity level anywhere up to 1.0 grams per 100 grams (1%). It’s most commonly used on salads and added to soups and stews. It’s a popular dip for breads with a splash of balsamic vinegar.
	Virgin Olive Oil – Virgin olive oil with a good taste that has a free acidity of 2% or 2.0 grams per 100. Similarly, it is used for salads, soups, stews, and dipping bread.
	Ordinary Virgin Olive Oil (corriente) – Ordinary virgin olive oil has a free acidity of between 2.0 and 3.3 grams per 100 grams (3.3%). It’s used for frying or basic cooking needs where taste isn’t of the utmost importance.
	Lampante Virgin Olive Oil – This olive oil isn’t fit for consumption as it has a free acidity of more than 3.3 grams (3.3%). It is intended for refining or other technical uses.

 

Refined Olive Oil

Refined olive oils are not totally natural, though perfectly healthy. They are obtained by refining virgin olive oils that do not pass the taste or free acidity test. No solvents are used, as refined olive oils have filtered with charcoal or other chemical filters. Because it must go through processing, it’s not considered “virgin olive oil,” though it’s kind of like the equivalent of virgin olive oil (that just needed a little bit of help getting there). It doesn’t have the same good taste of virgin olive oil.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is the blend of refined olive oil and virgin olive oils. Cheaper refined oil is mixed with virgin oil to obtain this by-product.

Olive Pomace Oil

When the flesh and pits are ground (after pressing them for virgin olive oil), olive pomace oil is made by treating this product with solvents or other physical treatments. Olive-pomace oil is the product of this treated oil mixed with virgin olive oils fit for consumption. It is usually used for soap making and other industrial purposes, like deep frying foods.

Olive Cake

The solid that remains after pressing the olives is called olive cake or pomace or sansa.

Don’t be fooled by Old Ideas

In the past, we were sold the ideas of cold pressed, first press etc. These terms are now obsolete in the olive oil world. When olives are pressed for their oil, if they’re heated too much, they lose their flavor. But olives aren’t “cold pressed,” but warmed up. You still might see “cold pressed” on labels. Now, it’s marketing.

First press, like cold pressed, isn’t considered an official term. A century again, oil was made from olives being pressed time and again. Now the majority of oil, except for at a few rustic farms, is made in a continuous centrifugal press.

And, don’t be sucked in by the “lite/light” craze. All olive oils whether they are virgin, extra virgin, or just plain old olive oil have the same amount of calories. Lite/light refers to the flavor!