Olive Oils - Learn About Valuable And Nutritional Suggestions

Should I begin to use olive oils at home? Read more and many questions related to olive oils will be answered here.

One of the oldest foods known to mankind comes from the olive tree, native to Mediterranean regions. In the Bible, the olive tree is mentioned very often, also in the Garden of Gethsemane and popular in the Jewish custom, where the oil burned miraculously for eight days. Olive oils occupy a prominent place these days, a subject of gastronomic delights, winning praises from nutritionists as a healthy way to avoid cholesterol problems.

A lot of countries where olive trees thrive claim superiority in their locally produced olive oils. There exist many grades, with different uses suitable to a given cooking application. To the average cook, the issue of olive oils may be unclear. When do you use extra virgin, cold-pressed oil? Which types of oils are suitable to dress your salad to perfection? And what is best for regular cooking? Italian or Spanish? Let's try to sort out some of the mystery by taking a quick look at what's available.

All olive oils don't have cholesterol, which is a component found in almost every other kind of oil. As a starting point, you know you're making a healthy diet choice when you opt for olive oils.

Now what about country of origin? Italy, Spain, Greece and France all have prolific olive producing areas, and compete with each other for the top position in purity and quality.

The fact is that every olive growing region has soil and climate conditions, giving a distinctive character to the oils produced and doesn't have much to do with an inherent degree of quality that can be identified as inferior or superior. Soil makeup and climate lend a distinctive essence, amounting to simple preference or affinity of special oils to foods within the same environment.

The grading of olive oils is something else. The refinement of the product is defined by grading, mainly noticeable in the acidity.

The "extra virgin" label is designated to the first "cold" pressing of the olives. This designation prescribes a maximum of 0.8% acidity, appropriate for the best salad dressing, where the superior flavor of the cold pressing is recognised.

Oils designated "virgin" are known to be a lower grade, but still an acceptable salad dressing quality. Virgin olive oils may not contain more than 2% acidity, and must contain no refined oil. Virgin oils should not be used in cooking, as the subtle flavour will be lost in cooking.

Products plainly labelled "olive oil" do not aspire to strong or refined taste and are best suited to cooking. As well, a label that says "100% pure" or "Imported from Italy" can be misleading, implying a degree of quality that is not justified. Such labels point out the lower end of quality, composites of oils from many countries, appropriate to frying without the fine distinctive flavours and low acidity of virgin olive oils.

Among cooks, olive oil is a cult thing. It's important to understand the different class if you want to succeed in your cooking. Anyhow, remember that these oils have no cholesterol and it will do your heart good to understand the fine points. So there you are, I am pretty sure that you will look at olive oils in a different way from now on. Take care of your health now, do not wait.

This well known author is an Internet lover and surely likes to share his knowledge with you. Discover more now about Nutrition and all about Olive Oils news at his website www.foodnutritioninformationguide.com

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