Olive Oil: Know Your Source

by Stavros Kalogerakos

[This article was first published in the Eco-Sense, spring 2005, by the Allergy and Environmental Health Association , Ottawa Branch / www.aeha.ca.]

Native Roots: In 1990, I returned to my native village of Krokees, in southern Greece, to rediscover my roots. For several winters afterwards, I spent a month there harvesting olives from our family groves. Although olive picking is labour intensive, I gained an invaluable first-hand experience about how olive oil is produced.

Krokees is sprawled like a sleeping cat over several hilltops. A thriving settlement since pre-Dorian times (1200 BC), it lies halfway between the legendary city of Sparta to the north, and the port of Gythion in the rugged Mani region to the south. The area is primarily agricultural. There are no heavy industries or overpopulation to pollute the environment. On her first visit, my wife Carla remarked that the air was so clean, she was able to breathe like nowhere else before.

Although there is an abundance of citrus, grapes, figs, herbs, and fabulous honey, Krokees lives and breathes olives. The surrounding valley and terraced hills are one undulating mass of evergreen olive trees. The silver-green patina of their slender leaves shimmer under the Mediterranean sun. Olive oil is king here!

Ripe for the Picking: When green olives show a hint of pale yellow and deepen to a mottled plum colour, they are ready for harvest. Being a cash crop, it is crucial that olives are picked at the right time. Too green, they produce little oil. Overripe, they lose their intense flavour and rich nutrients. Myrtolia olives are the main variety and it takes five to seven kilograms to produce one litre of cold pressed, extra-virgin olive oil.

From December to late March, it's a mad rush each day to gather, sack and deliver olives to the mill for pressing into "liquid gold" as the ancient Greeks called it. Olives spoil quickly, so they must be pressed within 24 hours of being harvested to ensure the finest oil is produced. That is why during harvest in Krokees there is always a daily lineup of farm tractors queueing their way to unload their precious cargo at the mill. The mill never stops, it hums round the clock, until the final load of olives is pressed.

Freshly Squeezed Juice: Unlike other vegetable oils, extra-virgin olive oil does not have to be refined to coax it from the olives. Behind the din of modern stainless steel and sophisticated machinery, the mechanical process for pressing olive oil is surprisingly unchanged since ancient times. Olives are separated from any remaining twigs and leaves, washed and then ground to a fine porridge-like mash. But unlike the old days of vertical presses, there are no multiple pressings, nor hot water contact to draw the oil from the ground pulp. It is truly like freshly squeezed juice.

The ground pulp is fed in one continuous motion through a high-speed centrifuge to extract all its liquids. The liquids are then spun in a separator, much like a cream separator. Oil, being lighter in density than the other watery, bitter liquids, rises to the top where it is collected, screened and transferred to holding tanks for natural decanting and storage. This is true, pure olive oil at its best!

Krokees produces only cold pressed, extra-virgin olive oil. Except for the screening, the oil is not filtered, heated, blended with other oils, or artificially treated with chemical solvents, deodorizers, and strippers. The free fatty acid, measured as oleic acid, has been consistently below 0.5 percent since 1990. The barrier set by the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) for extra-virgin olive oil is 1.0 percent. Higher acidity means decreased antioxidants, nutrients, aroma, taste, and earlier rancidness.

Sharing the Experience: When I first brought oil back to Ottawa for Carla to try, she was hooked! She asked me to bring it every year. The taste reminded her of the olive oil she had as a young girl visiting a Ligurian farm in her native Italy. The oil from that farm was superior to the olive oil her family purchased annually from the local distributor.

Friends and co-workers who tasted it also wanted some. About this time, Carla found out she had environmental sensitivities (see www.aeha.ca). Consequently, it was vital to know everything about the food we were consuming: its source, method of production, processing, nutrition, packaging, storage and so on. She also wanted to use the oil as a skin moisturiser instead of products containing chemicals.

In my research I learned that it is essential that olives be milled within 24 hours of harvest. If sacks of olives (40 to 60 kg each) are stacked for days on end, it causes the olives to heat up, bruise, become mouldy, oxidized and acidic. Filtering the oil further reduces its nutrients, flavour and colour. Olive oil that is smoky or shows a slight deposit means it was naturally decanted. The smokiness and slight sediment do not affect the quality of the oil.

All Oils are not the Same: The bulk of olive oil is produced by Spain, Italy and Greece, in that order. But Greece outstrips all other European Union countries in the production of extra-virgin. Greek olive oil is much in demand by other oil producing countries. It is not unusual to see tanker trucks from Spain or Italy loading oil at the Krokees cooperative. It is blended with Spanish or Italian oils to intensify their flavour and give them body.

California and Australia also produce olive oil. Although the IOOC sets international standards, they are only followed by Europe. California regulations allow for 75% of the olive oil content to be derived from the olives grown in the area. Blending is permitted with other oils. In fact the USA grading system is still based on its Department of Agriculture standards set in March 1948. The USA does not officially have extra-virgin olive oil. Instead it calls it Grade A or U.S. Fancy. The permitted ceiling for free oleic acid content is also higher at 1.4 %.

It's all About Marketing: Unscrupulous producers, distributors, dealers and merchants try to increase their profit margins at the expense of the farmer and consumer. As the village locals say, "Once the oil leaves the mill, it is not the same oil that the Athenians eat!" In this lucrative business, nothing gets wasted, not even the leftover pressed waste, pits and sediment. Through heat extraction, acid reducing chemicals, deodorizers, and filtering, the leftover pulp is converted to tasteless pomace oil. It is blended with a little extra-virgin olive oil and sold as pure olive oil.

Enforcement authorities randomly test for tempered oil. For example, on April 4, 2000, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency successfully prosecuted Gestion Trorico Inc. for importing and selling adulterated olive oil. The product labelled as extra-virgin was mostly vegetable oil. According to the same Prosecution Bulletin published by the Agency on June 12, 2000, in the four years previous to this case, the agency prosecuted at least 12 other companies in Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba for the same offence. The fines are simply an added cost in doing business.

Olive Oil, the Healthy Choice: Growing up in Krokees, olive oil was an everyday ingredient in the traditional vegetarian-rich Mediterranean diet. Nutritionally, olive oil has 14 grams of fat and 124 calories per tablespoon. But unlike animal fats, it's an essential fatty acid, high in mono-unsaturated fats and easily metabolized. The enzyme action of triolein, chlorophyll and pheophytin aid digestion, regularity and overall health. Olive oil is heart healthy! It boosts the good HDL blood cholesterol and lowers the harmful LDL cholesterol that forms plaque in arterial walls, therefore decreasing the risk of heart attack.

The accumulation of free radicals, resulting from oxidation in the body, causes serious problems on human health. Free radicals destroy cell membranes and DNA, accelerate the aging process, and cause damage to the liver and formation of cancer. Olive oil is high in tocopherol vitamin-E, A, D, and K, polyphenols, oleuropein, as well as squalene, beta-sitosterol and tyrosol: all important anti-oxidants, cancer-protective, blood-sugar stabilizing and atherosclerosis-preventing compounds. It also contains a natural anti-inflammatory called oleocanthal. It is responsible for the peppery, stinging sensation at the back of the throat when tasting the oil on its own.

Trust Your Senses: When choosing olive oil, let your senses be the judge. Freshly pressed, oil has an intense bouquet, full, robust with the smell of olive fruit, and clean. There should be no off odours, mouldiness, rubbery-plastic or tangy rancid smell. On the tongue, the taste should be full but delicate, not heavy or cloying. The taste of olive fruit should predominate.

Know the Source: Which to buy? Which is best? What is a good price? What do all the different grades mean? If quality is important to you, then do your research and know the source. Like wine, there are so many varieties and flavours to choose from. Team up with friends, have an oil tasting party. Select different brands and oils from different regions and countries. Ask questions of storekeepers, find out if they have tastings. Look for olive oil that is packed in dark glass bottles. Avoid plastic containers. Do not buy oil that is stored under hot, intense lighting or sitting in open window displays.

The right oil for you is ultimately the one that suits your taste and use. Olive oil is fine for cooking: being mainly mono-unsaturated fat is more stable to heat degradation than the polyunsaturated oils. However, the appetizing flavour and goodness of a fragrant extra-virgin olive oil is better savoured raw. Enjoy it fresh as a condiment and last minute addition in soups, salads, sauces, steamed vegetables, on pizza, pasta, toasted bread and bruschetta.

Once you open a bottle of oil, it is best to consume it within three to six months to benefit from its goodness and nutrition. Keep the bottle capped, and stored in a cool, dark cupboard, away from direct heat and light.

Kali orexi (bon appetit)!

Stavros Kalogerakos is owner of Terra Foods (613-225-2191; terrafoods2004@hotmail.com).
He imports small batches of extra-virgin olive oil from his native village of Krokees, Greece. It is the same oil that the local farmers produce and consume.