About olive oil

Olive Oil Exhibition

Young and fresh aromas, citrus aromas with a hint of bitterness, the gentle scent of small flowers, the refreshing aroma of young grass, the clear scent of herbs... Olive oil has many aromas that evoke the color green.

When you taste it, you may find flavors like green tomatoes or young bananas, bitterness and spiciness, a puckering astringency, or a mild, balanced oil with a subtle presence.

Oil Appraisal Training in ITALY

The aftertaste also varies. Some have a rich aftertaste like nuts or high-quality butter, while others leave a long-lasting finish, and some have a clean finish that quickly fades. When used in cooking, olive oil can also enhance the flavor of the dish.

In this way, the appeal of olive oil lies not only in the enjoyment of its various flavors and aromas but also in its ability to support dishes from the foundation or add flavor to finished dishes.

Olive oil is currently categorized as follows.

Olive Oil Category Classification Table (According to IOC Regulations)

The name olive oil is a general term, but it is also the name given to the fifth category from the top.

In other words, “extra virgin olive oil” and “olive oil” are

not the same thing.

The words written on the front label of the bottle you purchased indicate this category name.
In other words, if it says “extra virgin olive oil,” the oil inside the bottle belongs to the “extra virgin olive oil” category.
If it says “olive oil,” it means the bottle contains oil from the “olive oil” category.

By the way, this “olive oil” is a grade that was called “pure oil” until a few years ago.
The word “pure” is a very beautiful word and is likely to evoke images of being unadulterated and natural, and it could also lead to the misconception that it is a better product than “extra virgin olive oil.” For these reasons, it was discontinued and came to be called “olive oil.”

However, since “olive oil” is also used as a general term for all of these... its confusing nature is a drawback.

Olive trees, which produce olive oil, belong to the olive family and are believed to have originated in the border region between present-day Turkey and Syria in a time much older than the BC era, spreading to Mediterranean countries through the expansion of peoples and trade.

Even today, Spain, which faces the Mediterranean, boasts the world’s largest olive oil production, and neighboring Italy also produces a large amount of olive oil every year.
Greece also produces olive oil, and it is also produced in large quantities across the Mediterranean in Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, and other countries on the African continent.
Olive cultivation has now spread around the world, and it is actively cultivated in the United States, as well as in Japan.

Cultivated on both sides of the equator in Australia, Chile, and other countries, olive oil is loved and sought after around the world. Research is conducted daily in Spain and Italy, as well as in Japan and the United States, and the benefits of olive oil for our bodies are gradually becoming known.

Olive oil is said to be good for your health

One major reason olive oil is attracting attention for being good for your health is that it contains “many types of antioxidants.”

Antioxidants can be simply described as “substances that have the power to resist the oxidation of the body,” and more simply, they are associated with “anti-aging.”

This “antioxidant power” of olive oil originally exists to protect the olive fruit itself. Because it remains in the oil after extraction, it is believed that when we consume olive oil, it enters our bodies and provides these benefits.
The benefits of olive oil are not limited to its antioxidant power.

It also contains vitamins.
Vitamin A and vitamin E, known as rejuvenation vitamins, as well as vitamin D and vitamin K, which affect calcium in the bones, have also been identified.

In addition, it has countless benefits, including “oleuropein,” which is said to work in the same way as ibuprofen, one of the ingredients in headache medication, and squalene, which helps moisturize mucous membranes. It is also said that there may be benefits that have yet to be discovered, so as research progresses, new benefits may be revealed.

However, there is one thing that must be mentioned. Olive oil is not medicine.

Drinking olive oil to cure a headache will not work. It takes time to show its effects by consuming it gradually every day, so it is ideal to use it naturally in your daily diet.
It is about “prevention,” not “curing.”

Let’s eat olive oil

Now that I know a little about why it is good for your health, I think I’ll try eating olive oil every day...

The following ways of eating it are also introduced online.
Sprinkle a small amount of olive oil on natto for breakfast, pour olive oil over fruit, or pour olive oil over miso soup...

Certainly, doing so would make it easy to consume olive oil in your daily diet.

But...

Some people may find it difficult to eat their usual miso soup if the aroma is changed by adding olive oil, and others may not want to change the flavor of their fruit... Many people also want to enjoy the flavor of natto itself without anything interfering with it. There is no need to force yourself to use it, but these are actually delicious ways to eat it as well.

If you are a little hesitant, how about trying one of these methods?

Sauté vegetables in olive oil instead of sesame oil, then drizzle sesame oil over them as a finishing touch.
Use it as the oil for stir-frying.
Pour olive oil over toast, sprinkle sugar on top, and bake it to make “sugar toast.”

It is very easy and delicious to consume.

If you are interested, try adding about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil to one pack of natto and mixing it before eating. You will notice that your usual natto tastes even more delicious.
For miso soup, you can start with pork miso soup. Use olive oil when frying the pork, and before pouring it into the bowl, add about 1/2 teaspoon of fresh olive oil, then pour the pork miso soup over it.
You can enjoy a fresh aroma, as if chopped green onions have been added.
Olive oil also blends well with Japanese cuisine.

Olive oil is resistant to heat.
Furthermore, because the aroma of the oil is volatile, it will evaporate when heated.
You will not smell the olive oil used to stir-fry the vegetables when you eat it.
Instead, it is a cooking method that allows you to enjoy the wonderful aroma of the sesame oil drizzled over it as a finishing touch, so it is highly recommended.

It is also recommended to pour olive oil on the bread before toasting and then sprinkle sugar on top before baking.
Those who have eaten it this way with butter before will surely be surprised by its light aftertaste. It has a pleasant mouthfeel, and because the aroma is also gently released, even those who dislike the green aroma of olive oil can enjoy it.
Before spreading jam on toasted bread, lightly drizzle olive oil over it, then spread the jam. This will make the sweetness of the jam milder and easier to eat. This is another recommended way to eat it.

It is also recommended for baking frozen salmon. Baked salmon can sometimes become a little dry, so drizzle olive oil over the baked salmon. It will taste moist, and the aroma will pair well with the browned salmon. It also goes well with rice as is, so you can enjoy it deliciously without it feeling out of place. Please give it a try♪

Consuming it without forcing yourself—that is the best way to keep going.

All oils eventually oxidize

Oil oxidation—this is an important thing you should know.
All oils will eventually oxidize. Whether it is vegetable oil or animal fat, as long as oil is exposed to the air, it will eventually oxidize.
Unfortunately, some olive oils on sale have already oxidized even before being opened, and their antioxidant power has weakened.

Because the oil is in a bottle, and especially if the bottle is dark and you cannot see inside, it can be difficult to tell how the oil is doing. Since oil itself does not spoil, there may not be any major changes in appearance, making it hard to tell when its condition has changed. As a result, you may buy it and find that it has already oxidized.

I hope everyone gets to experience the flavor of high-quality oil.
Once you know the quality of oil and discover the flavors you like, buying and using oil will become more enjoyable.

Our bodies are changed by what we eat. The cells, the smallest units of our bodies, have cell walls whose main component is oil.
“Fats and oils,” one of the three major nutrients, are very important to our bodies, and we cannot maintain a healthy body without high-quality fats and oils.

What kind of oil you consume every day...
is very important.

Incorporate healthy oils into your diet and improve your health from the inside out!
Let’s treat health and beauty as something natural and enjoy our daily lives.

We regularly hold olive oil seminars in our cooking classes and elsewhere. I would be delighted if many people take an interest and develop the ability to make their own judgments.