About Gourmet Olive Oil
_________________Olive oil is a key component of the Mediterranean diet. In Greece, with the highest olive oil consumption in the world, there is a per capita annual consumption of 26 liters. Italy and Spain consume 14 liters, and by contrast, northern Europeans and North Americans consume less than one liter a year. This shows you just how key a component it is! It has been extracted from olives in the Mediterranean for 5000 years. In Ancient Rome, conquered populaces were required to pay taxes to the Empire in the form of olive oil.
Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat, known for lowering cholesterol and therefore protecting against heart disease. Extra-virgin olive oil also has high amounts of polyphenols, an antioxidant. It is Extra-virgin olive oil, the most flavorful, fruitiest grade, is cold-pressed from olives – that is to say, they are ground into a paste and then mechanically pressed, in the traditional method, or mechanically crushed without pressing in a newer method. Heat is used to get a higher yield of oil, but it changes the flavor of the oil, so cold pressing is important. Extra-virgin olive oil, or EVOO, has less than 1% acidity.
We have many varieties of EVOO, from Italy, Spain, and also from Turkey – where the olive tree originated. Some of the brands we carry are Goccia del Re, Gran Gusto, Terre Lucane, Geraci, Sabatino, Gabrielloni, De Marco, Academia Barilla, De Gregorio, Valderrama (Spain), Casa Pareja (Spain), and Verdolio (Turkey). Some brands, notably the Academia Barilla, have extra virgin oils all from one region, thus showcasing the typical flavors and aromas of that particular terroir – for example, the Ligurian Riviera, Toscano from Tuscany, or Monti Iblei, the Iblean Plateau in Sicily. We also sell extra-virgin olive oil infused with such flavors as basil, orange, lemon, garlic, rosemary, pepper, oregano, and mushroom. These are wonderful for drizzling on bread and pasta and add another dimension of flavor. We have unfiltered oil if you wish to have it in a more natural and flavorful state, and organic EVOO. Each of our oils is different, like fine wines.
We also carry other premium oils, including roasted hazelnut oil, almond oil, roasted walnut oil, and grapeseed oil.
CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SPECIFIC PRODUCTS AND THEIR RICH HISTORY:
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PASTA | OLIVE OIL | VINEGARS | FISH & SEAFOOD | VEGETABLES | MUSHROOMS
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