Italy is the world’s largest producer of olive oil and provides nearly a third of the world’s supply. Its olive oils are distinguished by the superior class of its extra vergine, made in all Italian regions of the center and south and in a few places in the north and has 20 DOP and 1 IGP olive oils listed in their regions of origin. The most flavorful and wholesome of edible oils is used raw in dressings or as a condiment for salads, vegetables, pastas, soups, seafood and meats. Chefs find extra vergine unmatchable in cooking, despite the higher cost. 

Olive oil is not just a healthy food. As a monounsaturated fat, it actively helps the body defend itself from heart disease by eliminating harmful cholesterol. It’s a condiment so versatile that it’s used to enhance the savors of dishes and foods of virtually every description, and as a cooking element olive oil is ideal for frying, braising, sautéing, baking, broiling, grilling, marinating and basting.

The History/Production of Olives
The olive was transplanted to Italy and introduced by at least 1000 BC. Olive trees may require 15 to 25 years to hit their full stride. Once well-rooted, olive trees can survive for many centuries. A storm struck central Italy in January 1985 and bitterly cold winds originating in Russia swept in from the northeast and in a single night killed thousands of trees over a vast area. The beauty of a countryside was vandalized in less than 24 hours. The Tuscans, Umbrians and inhabitants of the Marches were stunned but responded by chopping down trees that were irretrievably damaged, severely cut back those that had survived and planted new shoots. Now, over two decades later, few scars of the disaster remain thanks to the determination of the growers.

The olive thrives in mild climates, and seems to require a micro-climate that is strongly conditioned by a large body of water, whether the saltwater Mediterranean or even the Pacific (since the tree is also successfully cultivated in California) or the freshwater lakes of northern Italy, especially Garda. Except for areas immediately around those lakes and the northern slopes of the Apennines in the regions of Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna, the olive grows only to the south of the mountain chain, in central and southern Italy, as well as on the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.

Anyone who wants to cultivate olives must have a strong stubborn streak, for olives require a lot of work. They must be properly pruned to insure the fullest possible exposure to the sun’s rays. They must be mulched and fertilized, and the ground around them must be dug regularly to keep down weeds and aerate the soil.

Harvesting Olives
Picking begins after the olives have been nipped by the first cold winds of winter and it should be done by hand to avoid bruising the fruit. The average yield per tree is extremely low in some areas, especially those where the most highly regarded oils are produced. In such zones, a tree may bear sufficient olives to provide no more than a couple of quarts of oil. The grower who manages to pick the olives at the right time is not home free. They are highly perishable commodities, souring easily, so they must be pressed as soon after picking as possible. The trees bear on a two-year cycle. A late spring frost can reduce the number of flowers and what was supposed to be a year of plenty can be turned into two years of scarcity. A prolonged dry spell in the summer may also reduce the crop.

Making Oil
The olive oil of the highest level of quality is the Extra Virgin and by law, olio extra vergine di oliva must come from the first pressing of olives by mechanical (not chemical) means and must contain less than 1% of oleic acid (the key measure: the lower the acidity the better).  The oils of this premier category are used as a condiment and a dressing as well as in most types of cooking except frying, since it is regarded as too good for that purpose and certainly too expensive. However, many chefs insist on using nothing but Extra Virgin.
The next highest level of quality is the Virgin. Olio vergine di oliva may have a maximum of 2% acidity. The same extraction rules apply as for the Extra Virgin but the maximum limit of acidity is higher. After Virgin comes what is called simply olio di oliva, which is a blend of oils that has been chemically rectified to reduce acidity to 1.5%. Such oils are best within a year of the harvest, since flavor slowly fades.

New equipment and techniques have been developed for removing the oil from the fruit, but the object is the same as it was in the days of the Roman Empire; to exert sufficient pressure to obtain the oil without at the same time extracting impurities and deleterious substances. To that end, heating of the olives or the rooms in which they are pressed is prohibited and the practice of rectifying the oil by chemical means is banned for all but the lowest category of quality. Traditional extraction by stone crushing and mat pressing is practiced mainly in mills in Tuscany and Umbria, where oil is especially prized, though most is processed by mechanical mashing and centrifuging.

Flavor, Color and Uses
Hand picking of under-ripe olives renders oil of deep green color, fruity aroma and full flavor (sometimes a touch piquant). Mature olives make oil of paler color and subtler flavor. The Extra Virgin produced in the hills of central Italy, which is usually but not always dark green in color but almost invariably fruity and sapid, is generally assigned the palm (or olive branch) as the finest oil overall. Milder products with tints that vary from light green to dark yellow and are sweeter and less assertive have their uses and their aficionados.

Italians themselves, if they can afford it, keep several types of olive oil in their pantries. Each has its own particular application. For example, cooks intent on making mayonnaise or other relatively delicate sauces might consider using the lighter oils of the Ligurian coast or the late-harvested versions from around Lucca in northeastern Tuscany. An oil from the Chianti hills is definitely called for when it comes to flavoring a ribollita, the heavenly dried bean, black cabbage and bread soup of Tuscany.

Olive oil in general is ideal for cooking and especially for searing and frying foods. That is because it can be heated to a higher temperature than almost all other cooking oils and fats without burning and without undergoing harmful chemical modifications. Poured over cooked meats and vegetables or used as the principal ingredient of a dressing, olive oil exalts the flavors of the other foods, while adding an extra dimension of its own. It is, almost, too much of a good thing, because cooks and consumers, carried away by its fruity aroma and flavor, tend to overdo it, pouring it out in a stream when a trickle is more than adequate.

Shopping for Italian Olive Oils
In shopping for oils, consumers should look for a date showing when the olives were pressed. It is not required by law, but many producers include that information on their labels. The date is important since olive oil should be consumed within a year – or two at the most – of the pressing. The oil should not be refrigerated but stored in a cool, dark place. If it is exposed to direct sunlight, the oil will deteriorate. Many wine estates also produce olive oil, especially in Tuscany and Umbria. The name of the estate can be regarded as a further guarantee of quality and provenance.

Additional information about Italy’s premium olive oils can be obtained by writing to the Italian Trade Commission, 499 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022.

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