This article was first published in the Eco-Sense, spring 2005,
Environmental Health Association Ontario, Ottawa Branch.
Native Roots
In 1991, I returned to my native village of Krokees, in southern Greece, to rediscover my roots. For several winters afterwards, I spent a month there harvesting olives from our family groves. Although olive picking is labour intensive, I gained an invaluable first-hand experience about how olive oil is produced.
Krokees lies sprawled like a sleeping cat over several hilltops.
A thriving settlement since pre-Dorian times (1200 BC), it is situated halfway between the legendary city of Sparta to the north, and the port of Gythion in the rugged Mani region to the south. The area is primarily agricultural. There are no heavy industries or overpopulation to pollute the environment.
Although there is an abundance of citrus, grapes, figs, herbs, and fabulous honey, Krokees lives and breathes olives. The surrounding valley and terraced hills are one undulating mass of evergreen olive trees. The silver-green patina of their slender leaves shimmer under the Mediterranean sun. Olive oil is king here!
Ripe for the Picking
When green olives show a hint of pale yellow and deepen to a mottled plum colour, they are ready for harvest. Being a cash crop, it is crucial that olives are picked at the right time. Too green, they produce little oil. Overripe, they lose their intense flavour and rich nutrients. Myrtolia and Athinolia olives are the main varieties and it takes five to seven kilograms to produce one litre of cold pressed, extra-virgin olive oil.
From December to late March, it’s a mad rush each day to gather, sack and deliver olives to the mill for pressing into "liquid gold" as the ancient Greeks called it. Olives spoil quickly, so in my town, they are pressed within 24 hours of being harvested to ensure the finest oil is produced. That is why during our harvest there is always a daily lineup of farm tractors queueing their way to unload their precious cargo at the mill. The mill never stops; it hums round the clock, until the final load of olives is pressed.
It is essential that olives be milled within 24 hours of harvest. If sacks of olives (40 to 60 kg each) are stacked for days on end, it causes the olives to heat up, bruise, and become mouldy, oxidized and acidic. Filtering the oil further reduces its nutrients, flavour and colour. Olive oil that is smoky or shows a slight deposit means it was naturally decanted. The smokiness and slight sediment do not affect the quality of the oil.
Unlike other vegetable oils, extra-virgin olive oil does not have to be refined to coax it from the olives. Behind the din of modern stainless steel and sophisticated machinery, the mechanical process for pressing olive oil is surprisingly unchanged since ancient times. Olives are separated from any remaining twigs and leaves, washed and then ground to a fine porridge-like mash. But unlike the old days of vertical presses, there are no multiple pressings, nor hot water contact to draw the oil from the ground pulp. It is truly like freshly squeezed juice.
The ground pulp is fed in one continuous motion through a high-speed centrifuge to extract all its liquids. The liquids are then spun in a separator, much like a cream separator. Oil, being lighter in density than the other watery, bitter liquids, rises to the top where it is collected, screened and transferred to holding tanks for natural decanting and storage. This is true, pure olive oil at its best!
The oil is not filtered, heated, blended with other oils, or artificially treated with chemical solvents, deodorizers, and strippers. The free fatty acid, measured as oleic acid, has been consistently below 0.5 percent since 1990. The barrier set by
the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) for extra-virgin olive oil is 1.0 percent. Higher acidity means decreased antioxidants, nutrients, aroma, taste, and earlier rancidness.
Sharing the Experience
When I first brought oil back to Ottawa for my wife Carla to try, she was hooked! She asked me to bring it every year. The taste reminded her of the olive oil she had as a young girl visiting a Ligurian farm in her native Italy. The oil from that farm was superior to the olive oil her family purchased annually from the local distributor.
Friends and co-workers who tasted it also wanted some. About this time, Carla found out she had environmental sensitivities (see
www.ehaontario.ca). Consequently, it was vital to know everything about the food we were consuming: its source, method of production, processing, nutrition, packaging, storage and so on. She also wanted to use the oil as a skin moisturiser instead of synthetic chemicals.
All Oils are not the Same
The bulk of olive oil is produced by Spain, Italy and Greece, in that order. But Greece outstrips all other European Union countries in the production of extra-virgin. Greek olive oil is much in demand by other oil producing countries. It is not unusual to see tanker trucks from Spain or Italy loading oil at the Krokees cooperative. It is blended with Spanish or Italian oils to intensify their flavour and give them body.
California and Australia also produce olive oil. Although the IOOC sets international standards, they are only followed by Europe. California regulations allow for 75% of the olive oil content to be derived from the olives grown in the area. Blending is permitted with other oils. In fact the USA grading system is still based on its Department of Agriculture standards set in March 1948. The USA does not officially have extra-virgin olive oil. Instead it calls it Grade A or U.S. Fancy.
The permitted ceiling for free oleic acid content is also higher at 1.4 %.
It’s all About Marketing
Unscrupulous producers, distributors, dealers and merchants try to increase their profit margins at the expense of the farmer and consumer. As the village locals say, "Once the oil leaves the mill, it is not the same oil that the Athenians eat!" In this lucrative business, nothing gets wasted, not even the leftover pressed waste, pits and sediment. Through heat extraction, acid reducing chemicals, deodorizers, and filtering, the leftover pulp is converted to tasteless pomace oil. It is blended with a little extra-virgin olive oil and sold as pure e.v. olive oil. More recently the same scam involves the use of hazelnut oil because it has a similar chemical structure as olive oil.
Trust Your Senses
When choosing olive oil, let your senses be the judge. Freshly pressed oil has an intense bouquet of olive fruit . There should be no off odours, mouldiness, rubbery-plastic or tangy rancid smell. On the tongue, the taste should be full but delicate, not heavy or cloying. The taste of olive fruit should predominate. However, don’t confuse the
peppery sensation at the back of the throat with rancidity.
Know your Source
If quality is important to you, then do your research and know your source. Like wine, there are countless varieties and flavours to choose from. Team up with friends, have an oil tasting party. Select different brands and oils from different regions and countries. Ask questions of storekeepers and suppliers. Look for olive oil that is packed in dark glass bottles. Avoid plastic containers. Do not buy oil that is stored under hot, intense lighting or sitting in open window displays.
Kali orexi (bon appétit)!
