Secrets of the virgin world of olive oil tastes and trails

If you had the taste for it, you could journey through much of the world learning about cultures, customs, traditions, menu choices, geography, lifestyles and more through olive oil produced in different countries and regions. You could follow an olive trail through Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and France — then jump across to South Africa and on to Australia before, perhaps, The taste of drizzled olive oil Palestine, to name a sampling of countries that produce.

Armchair travelers can savor the flavors and distinct growing regions of these destinations and many more right in their own home kitchens, given the international selection of olive oils available in good food stores and online.

The United States — particularly California — has seen exponential olive oil industry growth these past dozen-plus years. The quality of the oil, the variety, and the fact that some olive oil producers have established destination locations give good reason for many a day trips, weekenders, and longer trails.

A good place to start is with the roadmap provided by San Francisco pastry chef turned author Fran Gage in her latest book, "The New American Olive Oil — Profiles of Artisan Producers and 75 recipes" (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2009).

Gage starts with an easy-to-read introduction, All About Olive Oil, followed by her Brief History of American Olive Oil. She introduces us to the Madrid, Spain–headquartered International Olive Council. (Check out their Web site, especially the Flash intro that I almost skipped, which is quite lovely.) She takes us to visit 15 producers, two of whom invite visitors for tastings and classes. She tells us how to taste, and a lot more.

An old friend of mine (in his 90s at last count) was unceasingly bemused and amused at the “extra virgin” label on the olive oil I’d tell him to buy.

“I mean, a virgin is a virgin,” he’d say. “What in heaven’s name is an ‘extra’ virgin?”

I wish he were still around so I could refer him to page 24 of Gage’s book and the International Olive Council’s classifications.
Needless to say, beyond listing the technical details of the three grades “fit for human consumption” (extra-virgin, virgin and Fran Gage signs ordinary olive oil), Gage’s book tells us what I told my friend many times, much as he wanted to hear something more racy.

Extra-virgin — the purest and the best

Extra-virgin is the highest grade, the purest, the best — and what Gage uses in the book’s 75 recipes, including one for an unbelievably delectable and decadent “almost flourless chocolate cake.”

Yes, olive oil chocolate cake.

And olive oil chocolate truffles.

Also olive oil mashed potatoes.

And olive oil fries.

And why not?

French fries without aioli?

Gage had the cake and the fries (and would the fries be French without olive oil aioli?) on the menu at a recent book launch a few of us were lucky to get to attend. Not your regular book launch, mind.

First there was the virgin olive oil blind tasting because, as one learns, olive oil has many subtleties.

Our olive oil came poured into palm-size round cobalt-colored glasses. Contrary to popular belief, color, Gage explained, is not a good indicator of an olive oil’s quality, but people are influenced by it so you want to hide the oil’s color for any tasting. We had score sheets to note what our noses told us when, same as with wine tasting, we stuck them into the glass and sniffed; and what our taste buds told us when we sucked in air with the oil and let it infuse our mouths.

Taste Test Guide

Gage has a comprehensive taste-test guide in her book for those who want to taste, blind or otherwise, at home.

At the launch, to talk about olive oil along with Fran Gage, was Paddy Darragh, executive director of the California Olive Oil Council, an educational Berkeley–based nonprofit.

The council, if you’re wondering, promotes the virtues of extra-virgin olive oil, supports olive farmers and oversees the California Olive Oil Council Seal program that evaluates oils for extra-virgin certification. They also have a fun Web site, worth checking out, with lot of olive oil facts and ideas.

Ten olive oil tips from the book:

Imported olive oils labeled extra-virgin might not be, so choose with care.
“First cold press” is, for the most part, a meaningless and outdated term.
Look for dark glass bottles and store your olive oil a cool place for best shelf life.
Look for the harvest or use-by date. The more recent the harvest, the better the oil.
Price matters. Extra-virgin, especially hand-harvested, is expensive to produce.
Use only extra-virgin olive oil in your kitchen and know there are three styles — delicate, medium and robust.
Robust oils are the ones that make you cough when you taste them. Like wine, what olive oil you like is a matter of taste.
The flavor of extra-virgin olive oil is best when it is heated gently or not at all.
There are a lot of health benefits associated with eating olive oil.
If you see the California Olive Oil Council Seal, you can rest assured that you’re buying a superior oil.