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This is based on an old study [1] and is no longer the case.
It's now FUD perpetuated by DTC brands as part of their marketing. [2]
[1] https://www.aboutoliveoil.org/uc-davis-olive-center-olive-oi...
[2] https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/briefs/brightland-drops-claims...
On urban US supermarket shelves virtually every bottle of olive oil advertises itself as "virgin" or the "even better" varieties ("extra virgin", "first cold pressed" etc). I have read that many of these labels are hogwash, and that the contents of your typical supermarket "extra virgin olive oil" bottle pretty often include adulterants like palm, canola, or sunflower oil. I can definitely taste the diff between supe…
https://www.aboutoliveoil.org/64-certified-pure-and-authenti...
Here is some good quality Greek olive oil available in US, reasonably priced, that you can buy without fear of adulteration or other shadiness:
https://www.amazon.com/Terra-Creta-Kolymvari-Protective-Desi...
https://www.amazon.com/Iliada-Extra-Virgin-Olive-Liter/dp/B0...
The Greek extra virgin olive oil sold at Trader Joe's is also very good.
Avoid the - Whole Foods & 365 branded - Greek EVOO at Whole Foods: it was rancid every single time I've tried it.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-crime-food/italian-...
[2] https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-basics/mafia-olive-o...
[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2016/02/10/the...
Edit: reading this back, it sounds somewhat like an attempt to shill a product. So, disclaimer: I have absolutely no affiliation with Jeff or the Cultured Oils, I’m just fascinated by it. Serial entrepreneur Jeff Nobbs recently launched a new product in the food oil space: Cultured Oil* I came across his writings* on the perils of seed oils earlier this year and it radically changed the way I eat. After becoming awar…
Edit: reading this back, it sounds somewhat like an attempt to shill a product. So, disclaimer: I have absolutely no affiliation with Jeff or the Cultured Oils, I’m just fascinated by it. Serial entrepreneur Jeff Nobbs recently launched a new product in the food oil space: Cultured Oil* I came across his writings* on the perils of seed oils earlier this year and it radically changed the way I eat. After becoming awar…
Good thing I put that in practically all my food anyway. I always thought extra virgin olive oil tastes better than vegetable oil
Virgin olive oil has a strong flavor and very low smoke point, which makes it unsuitable for most types of food. You may like the taste of olive oil better than vegetable oil, but it’s kind of weird to taste olive oil in most foods. Kind of like how you wouldn’t but blue cheese on everything, or truffles on everything, or bacon on everything, even if you like the taste of those things—they taste a bit weird when comb…
[1] https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CulinaryOil_S...
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I lived with a Greek flatmate for a while. By far the best olive oil I've had was from their family owned olive grove. Usually brought back from his trips home in reused milk jugs.
There used to be a vineyard in Lake County (CA) that made small-batch olive oil from trees on their estate. Sadly, the trees were destroyed in a fire a few years ago. I'll never forget the taste; it had a very strong olive flavor and was so acidic it actually felt spicy on your tongue. Have never found its equal in a store, no matter how exotic and/or pricey.
Zingerman's Mail Order does a phenomenal job of sourcing olive oils like this but also of specifically calling out the tasting notes and the differences in their options.
Two that they have that specifically hit this spiciness you're looking for:
https://www.zingermans.com/Product/petraia-olive-oil/O-PET https://www.zingermans.com/Product/la-spineta-olive-oil/O-SP...
But in my experience, their live chat or phone service is absolutely amazing at guiding you to a great option, too.
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I get California Olive Branch “100% California” EVOO because I heard it was genuine. Do you know if this is true, and if not, which brands are? I only add like 1tsp of oil to the pan when cooking so I can justify using the more expensive brands, though i don’t really taste a difference
Once you heat it, the differences become negligible to nonexistent. Good-quality oils are most important in raw uses, such as dips and salad dressings. It's a hassle to maintain a "cooking olive oil" and a "raw olive oil", so the worst you're doing is wasting a tiny bit of money for the convenience of keeping around just one bottle. As for the particular brand you mention... yes, it's very well reputed. Being produce…
I find the price difference(between supermarket extra virgin olive oil, and actually delicious stuff) is pretty significant (4x-5x). Well worth keeping around to bottles.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I get California Olive Branch “100% California” EVOO because I heard it was genuine. Do you know if this is true, and if not, which brands are? I only add like 1tsp of oil to the pan when cooking so I can justify using the more expensive brands, though i don’t really taste a difference
> I get California Olive Branch “100% California” EVOO because I heard it was genuine. Do you know if this is true, and if not, which brands are? Broadly speaking, get what you know and what's close. Have a friend in Italy, Greece or Spain? Get it from them. Live in California? Get it from there. The longer the supply and trust chains for something like olive oil, the higher the chances of funny business.
I’m kind of bad at parsing these studies so maybe someone can help: Did they control for people opting for virgin OO having other confounding lifestyle factors that would cause the effect? I certainly lean towards virgin OO when I’m feeling that I want to be healthy.
> I certainly lean towards virgin OO when I’m feeling that I want to be healthy. Fwiw the use case for non-virgin olive oil is different. You’d want to use non virgin in anything that involves heat as it won’t burn or break down as easily. For anything that you’ll taste (eg dressings) you’d want an extra virgin oil that will have more of the plants’ taste. Could be worth splurging on nice oil for dressings/dipping oi…
