Olive oil is growing in popularity in the United States. Sourced from the Mediterranean and part of that famous diet, it has been shown to be a healthy source of fat when compared to fats from animal sources.

It is also more expensive to manufacture compared to canola and soy oils. Like wine, complex flavors abound, depending on the growing region, olive type, and extraction methods. Indeed in some parts of the world, olive oil has a cult like following.

Despite its characteristic greenish tinge and taste, many people are conned into buying adulterated products – olive oil mixed with canola or soy. And even when buying 100% olive oil, the price variations and various claims on the bottles are very confusing to the average consumer.

Marketers want you to buy their olive oil and therefore you’ll see – pure, extra filtered, cold pressed, natural, extra virgin, and the likes. To make things easier for us, starting in October, the USDA will require importers to abide by strict labeling guidelines [PDF]

The highest quality oils are marked Extra Virgin Olive Oil [EVOO] and their acidity must be less than 0.8%.  Use this oil for salad dressings. For heated dishes, you can settle for Virgin Olive Oil, with up to 2% acidity.

The virgin designation means that the olives were cold pressed, and no chemicals were used to extract the oil.

Cold pressing means that no heating was involved in the oil extraction, and more of the original flavor and nutrients are available.

Despite this, from a nutrition perspective, as long as they are 100% olive oil, there is not much difference among the different brands and markings.

Note that in some recipes it is better to use other oils because the dominant flavor of olive oil may overtake the dish. In any case remember that any source of fat, whether olive oil or lard, carries a high calorie tag – a tablespoon contains over 100 calories.

Get Fooducated: RSS Subscription or Email Subscription

Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/fooducate