Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 4
Icons Used in This Book 4
Beyond the Book 5
Where to Go from Here 5
Part 1: Introduction to Olive Oil 7
Chapter 1: Exploring the Story of Olive Oil 9
Defining the Olive Tree throughout its History 10
From wilderness to farm 10
From ship to shore 12
Shaping ancient empires 12
Religious and culinary influences 17
Recognizing the New World of Olive Oil 21
Groves going west 21
Expansion into Asia and beyond 23
Olive oil in Africa 23
Chapter 2: Understanding Olive Oil Classifications 25
Recognizing the classifications of olive oil 26
Olive oil categories 26
Classification standards 29
Defining Other Olive Oil Standards 31
Australia 32
Naooa 32
Oocc 32
Pdo/dop 33
Igp/pgi 34
Slow Food Presidia 35
Organic 35
Chapter 3: Appreciating the Production Process 37
Producing the Best Product 38
Tree care and maintenance 38
Keeping enemies at bay 39
Environmental challenges 39
Harvest time 40
Processing at the Mill 44
Juicing the fruit 45
Waste not, want not 46
Storing at the mill 47
Maintaining “Green” Groves 48
Built-in sustainability of olive trees 48
Sustainable farming 49
Modern mills 50
Chapter 4: Explaining Quality and Comparisons with Other Oils 53
Recognizing Quality Olive Oil 54
Olive oil fraud 54
Defective olive oil 56
Testing Criteria for EVOO 57
Tasting panels and laboratory tests 58
Sensory categories 59
Comparing EVOO to Other Oils 61
What makes EVOO different 61
Bioactive compounds in EVOO 62
Part 2: How Olive Oil Improves Health 65
Chapter 5: Choosing Healthy Fats 67
Identifying Different Types of Fat 68
Correlating fats to cholesterol and health 69
Understanding how fats relate to calories and weight 72
Determining the Benefits of Eating Healthy Fats 74
Olive oil: A fat for life 75
Other foods that contain nutrient-rich fats 76
Chapter 6: Incorporating Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Polyphenols 79
Understanding Polyphenols 80
Plants have a survival instinct 81
Polyphenols and inflammation 83
Knowing the Extraordinary Polyphenols in EVOO 86
Naturally high in polyphenols 86
Conditions that effect the levels of olive polyphenols 87
Chapter 7: Recognizing Olive Oil’s Role in the Mediterranean Diet 89
Focusing on Olive Oil as the Primary Ingredient 90
Reflecting on the extraordinary benefits 90
Measuring the effects of the diet 95
Considering Olive Oil as Medicine 97
Ancient olive-oil treatments 97
Mediterranean cultural practices 98
Chapter 8: Maximizing the Health Benefits of Olive Oil 101
Examining the Benefits of EVOO 102
The protective power of olive oil 103
Discovering the compounds in EVOO 108
Tasting the polyphenols of EVOO 111
Knowing Your Daily Intake 112
Increasing the Efficacy 113
Combining EVOO with other nutritional foods 113
Having a healthy gut 114
Part 3: Incorporating Olive Oil Into Your Daily Life 117
Chapter 9: Tasting Olive Oil Properly 119
Considering the Flavor Profiles 120
Enjoying the flavor 120
Understanding flavor features 121
Matching taste with health benefits 126
Working with the Best EVOO 127
Becoming a defect detective 128
Taking a deeper dive into EVOOs chemistry 128
Chapter 10: Deciphering the Taste of Different Varieties 131
Checking Out Varieties of Olive Oil 132
Discovering cultivars in different countries 133
Blending flavors 142
Considering total polyphenol levels 142
Beginning to Combine EVOOs with Foods 144
Chapter 11: Pairing Extra-Virgin Olive Oil with Food and Wine 147
Understanding How to Complement Flavors 148
Pairing EVOO with Food 148
Matching EVOOs with Wine 151
Part 4: Choosing Extra-virgin Olive Oil 157
Chapter 12: Buying Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 159
Deciphering the Labels 160
Nutrition labels 160
Legal necessities 162
Unnecessary or misleading phrases on labels 163
Harvest and “best before” dates 164
Acidity and other values 165
Getting to Know Your EVOO 167
Region of origin 167
Telling the origin story 167
Health claims on labels and advertising 168
Chapter 13: Recognizing Proper Packaging and Storage 171
Recognizing a Good EVOO Label 172
Looking out for quality indicators 172
Having attractive presentations 173
Maintaining EVOO’s Quality 175
EVOO retail packaging 176
Advances in EVOO packaging 178
Maximizing storage at home 179
Chapter 14: Purchasing, Price, and Affordability 181
Prioritizing the Purchase of EVOO 182
Comparing affordability: Western diet versus Mediterranean-style diets 182
Supporting the cost of EVOO 183
Evaluating purchasing options 184
Examining prices and value 189
Choosing the quality of EVOO 189
Understanding the EVOO market 192
Getting the Most Out of Your EVOO 193
Part 5: Creating Dishes with Extra-virgin Olive Oil 195
Chapter 15: Cooking, Frying, and Preserving with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 197
Cooking with EVOO for Flavor and Nutrition 198
Understanding the science 199
Exploring the cooking methods 200
Frying in EVOO 202
Preserving Food in EVOO 205
Chapter 16: Baking and Pastry-Making with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 207
Swapping Out Butter for EVOO 208
Choosing EVOO for Breads and Sweet Treats 210
Part 6: Cooking with Extra-virgin Olive Oil 215
Chapter 17: Base Recipes 217
Chapter 18: Breakfast and Brunch 231
Starting Your Day with a Shot of EVOO 232
Working EVOO into Your Morning Routine 232
Chapter 19: Appetizers 243
Chapter 20: First Courses 255
Chapter 21: Second Courses 265
Chapter 22: Desserts 277
Part 7: Diving Deeper and the Future For Olive Oil 287
Chapter 23: Enrolling in Tasting/Sommelier Classes and Oleo Tourism 289
Tasting at a Whole New Level 290
Sampling olive oil in an informal setting 291
Approaching EVOO like a pro: sommelier training 291
The language of aroma and flavor 292
Discovering Oleo Tourism 293
Planning your visit to a grove 294
Combining travel experiences 295
Tasting at the mill 296
Chapter 24: The Future of Olive Oil 299
Cultivating Better Production and Quality 300
Identifying new innovations 300
Improving standards and traceability 301
Spreading the Great News of EVOO 302
Promoting the health benefits of EVOO 303
Creating opportunities for further education 304
Part 8: the Part of Tens 309
Chapter 25: Ten Other Uses for Olive Oil 311
Bathing in olive oil 313
Removing Makeup 313
Glossing and Nourishing Your Hair 314
Shaving Oil 314
Making Facial Masks 314
Treating Your Hair 316
Exfoliating Your Skin 316
Conditioning Your Hands 317
Moisturizing Your Skin 317
Cleansing Makeup Brushes 318
Chapter 26: Ten Easy Ways to Consume More Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 319
Cooking with EVOO 320
Drizzling for Added Flavor 320
Prioritizing Your Health 321
Eating More Vegetables and Salads 321
Consuming EVOO throughout the Day 322
Substituting with EVOO 322
Introducing Children to EVOO 323
Exploring New Tastes and Varieties 323
Redefining the Value of EVOO 324
Continuing Your Journey through Travel 324
Appendix: Metric Conversion Guide 325
Index 327
