Killer seminar by an awesome school instructor tonight. We started with olive oil, which is as old as alphabets, thousands of years old.
Olive trees need mild winters, long dry warm summers, well-drained soil (volcanic for example).
International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) is based in Madrid, Spain and has 23 member states. Promotes and governs standards (US not participating).
Production is high in Mediterranean countries, with Spain being #1.
In Italy, from Liguria and south, but some pockets in the north.
Mediterranean diet has led to increases in OO consumption.
Olive Oil is a fruit oil from olives, used in cooking, cosmetics, medicines, soaps and fuel for lamps. It is high in monounsaturated fat and low in saturated fat.
Smoke point: virgin: 375, refined 400
Italy has 20 DOP and 1 IGP OOs.
Oct/Nov is harvet time.
[Side note: in CA, tomatoes can go from pick to canning in just hours, so often canned tomatoes are even better than fresh ones we buy that are manufactured to withstand long travel and shelf life.]
Hard to know exactly when to pick each olive. They are inedible right off the tree.
They are either picked by hand or by using a ‘shaking machine’ that shakes the tree, but of course this method causes both ripe and unripe olives to fall.
By hand, not all are harvested at once; only the ripe ones each picking.
EVOO: 1% or less acidity
VO: 1-2% acidity
OO: combination f VOO and refined oil, < 1.5% acidity. usually 10% VO and 90% refined.
25/75 oil = 25% EVOO and 75% canola.
Once picked, olives are graded, foliage removed. Must be fast, rancidity and flies can attach olives.
Next to crushing where granite grinding stones are used.
Cold extracted must be kept under 80 degrees, slow churn or mixing of olives for 20-40 minutes.
Higher temp yields more oil, but poorer quality. Pressing separates oil from the pulp and water from solids. Gravity separates 3 components (oil, fruit, water).
IOCC Standards:
Virgin: only steps are washing, decantation, centrifuge and filtration (no heat).
EVOO - oleic acid less than or equal to .8g / 100 g
VOO - oleic acid less than or equal to 2g/100 g
This is not acidity you can taste on palate. It’s chemical acidity.
Oils from olives NOT to use:
Refined oil: chemically treated to neutralize taste and acid.
Pure OO: 1.5% acidity and blended OO and refined oil.
Pomace oil: heated and chemically treated. Very low grade.
Olive pomace oil is a blend of VO and pomace.
Lamanate oil: used for lamps.
The Mojet and Recognose Wheels are 2 attempts to create a system for describing the variables of olive oil. Drawings are linked just above.
OO generally only good for up to 2 years. From bottling, quality decreases over time. Store in a cool and dark place. There is no O2 in the bottle until opened. O2 is the enemy of oil (but a friend of balsamic).
Don’t refill oil bottles. When empty, wash and sanitize, then refill.
There are only 2 true producers of balsamic vinegar.
Modena: aged at least 12 years (Affiniato) and Extravechio gold band aged 25 years +
Reggio Emilia (Emilia Romagna):
Red label: 12 years just a few ounces: $89
Silver label: 18 years $149
Gold label: 25 years $189
Vinegar and caramel color and sugar is what most people buy.
Balsamic - unlike oil - likes oxidation. Aged in casks. Moved to different (smaller) casks as it ages and combined with other vinegars. Age indicates age of the youngest vinegar.
The tradition of Modena dates back to 1046 or older, documented to 1046.
Made from trebbiano and lambrusco grapes. Slow cooked to approximately 50% of original volume and creates concentrated must.
Cooked must rests a few months.
Then into casks where fermentation starts. Smaller and smaller casks of different woods are used.
100kg of must is needed to make 2-3 liters of vinegar.
Ingredients to look for on bottles:
cooked must, aged in casks (even if not tradizionale)
NO coloring.
Condimento: same methods as tradizionale but outside Modena or Reggio with no consortium approval.
The worst place for wine or oil is the best place for vinegar (i.e. attic).
Wine/OO Vinegar
no air air
store in cellar store in attic
most wine best <2 yrs older is better
Wow! I can’t believe I tasted 15 oils. Feeling a little queazy, but it was fun. The vinegars, though, were OFF THE CHARTS. Wish I had a purse to sneak that 25 year stuff out the door. :-)
Tuesday, November 6, 2007