The Miracle of Olive Oil

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah commemorates the discovery of a single vessel of pure olive oil that burned miraculously for eight days.  Olive oil has always been an integral part of the Jewish tradition.  Olive oil is one of the seven species mentioned in the Torah.  The only mitzvah associated with Hanukkah is the lighting of the menorah and the Sages favored using olive oil, for both its purity and symbolism, in fulfilling this commandment.  Can we even imagine our Hanukkah food traditions without olive oil?

A stroll through the section of the supermarket will assault you with a dizzying array of extra virgin, virgin, and pure olive oils ranging in price from just a few dollars to nearly $40 a bottle.  With Hanukkah lights flickering in the background, and olive oil burning in my treasured silver menorah, I thought this is a perfect time to demystify olive oil and share some thoughts before for your next trip to the market.

The Orthodox Union considers extra virgin olive oil to be Kosher for Passover (and year round), even without any kosher supervision.  Extra virgin olive oil is the highest grade of olive oil with a nearly perfect flavor, color and aroma that has a maximum acidity, of no more than 1%.  It is also the most expensive of all olive oils, because optimal conditions for production, harvesting, processing and storage are rarely present and the production yield is low compared to oils.

Approximately, 98% of the world’s olive oil comes from the Mediterranean region, which has a history of olive tree cultivation that dates back nearly 6,000 years.  Ancient olive presses have been identified by archaeologists in Israel and its neighboring countries.  Most of the world’s finest olive oils come from this area, although California is now a leading producer of fine extra virgin olive oil.  Like wine, the flavors, colors and aromas of aromas of olive oils vary according to type olive grown, as well as climate and soil conditions.

Health Benefits of Olive Oil

In addition to its colorful history and remarkable taste, olive oil is well known for its healthful properties.  Widely respected scientific studies report that a Mediterranean diet low in saturated fats (such as butter and other animal fats), but rich in monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, in addition to grains, fruits and vegetables, helps keep the artery-clogging LDL (“bad cholesterol”) low while maintaining healthy levels of HDL (“good cholesterol”).

Cooking with Olive Oil

Chefs differ about whether to use extra virgin olive oil when cooking or frying.  From my personal experience, the main reason to consider using other oils when frying is cost.  The unique flavor of extra virgin olive oil is not as apparent when cooking, so I may fry with a peanut or grapeseed oil, but drizzle some extra virgin olive oil just prior to serving, for flavor.  The International Olive Oil Council states that extra virgin olive oil, “stands up well to high frying temperatures.  Its high smoke point (410ºF or 210ºC) is well above the ideal temperature for frying food (356ºF or 180ºC).”

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Tasting Olive Oil

You can generally categorize olive oil as mild (delicate, light or “buttery”), semi-fruity (stronger, with more taste of the olive), and fruity (oil with robust olive flavor).  The best way to become familiar with the wide range of olive oil flavors is to taste as many of them as possible!  Art Kishiyama, the grower/producer of Olio Nuevo, shared his “Four S” tasting technique:

1. SMELL – enjoy the fresh, clean, grassy aroma of freshly harvested olives.
2. SIP – take a sip, let it rest on the tongue
3. SLURP – suck air into the mouth through your teeth, coating the tongue and mouth with oil, enjoy the flavors.
4. SWALLOW – slowly and carefully, anticipate a peppery, pungent finish

With these brief tasting tips in mind, let’s get cooking. 

Here are 6 favorite ways to really experience olive oil. 

Bread Dipping Oil

Eggplant Carpaccio

Roasted Fruit with Olive Oil and Ice Cream

Garlic Confit

Marinated Labneh Balls

Beet Hummus