Olive Oil
Olive oil, originally a native of the Mediterranean has see rising amounts of consumptions world over due to the benefits it has. The North American regions, Southern Europe and the Middle East contribute to large portion of olive oil produced in the world.
Extraction of olive oil
Traditional way of extracting olive oil is by the use of millstones. Raw olives when crushed under the millstones produce bitter tasting oil and the overly ripe olives produce rancid oil. Hence care is taken to see that the olives are ripened to an optimum extent before they are sent under the grindstones. The olives are first crushed into a paste under the millstone and are allowed to remain in this form for an hour or so. The oil that is collected is called virgin olive oil. The remaining paste is made into cakes and spread under a press. The application of pressure squeezes the remaining oil present in the paste. The oil thus produced is of a lower grade as compared to virgin olive oil.
Types of olive oil
• Extra virgin olive oil:
This is obtained from the cold press of olive oil. Absence of refined oil in the extra virgin olive oil renders an acidity of less than 0.2% and improves the taste by a large extent.
• Virgin olive oil:
Has an acidity of less than 2%. Refined oil is not added to virgin olive oil.
• Pure olive oil:
Pure olive oil is a mixture of refined olive oil and one of the above types of oil, either extra virgin or virgin olive oil.
• Olive oil
Contains an acidity of less than 1.2% and is again a mixture of refine
d olive oil and virgin olive oil. It lacks the flavour and taste of virgin olive oil.
• Olive-Pomace oil
Olive-Pomace oil is not commonly available on the super market shelves and cannot really be called olive oil. It is a mixture of olive and pomace oil used by some restaurants to add flavour to certain dishes.
• Lampante oil
Lampante oil is an inferior variety of olive oil that cannot be used for consumption. It is however used as a fuel for oil lit lamps. It finds its use primarily in the industrial markets.
Health benefits of using Olive oil
It is a dieter’s friend thanks to the presence of low calories as compared to the other forms of oil. Monosaturated fats are believed to reduce the risk of disorders related to the heart. Oleic acid, a large component of olive oil is rich in monostaurated fats. Studies suggest that including two teaspoons of olive oil in your daily diet will reduce the occurrence of coronary disorders by a large extent. There are a thousand recipes where cooking oil can be substituted with olive oil without any change in taste. Besides experiencing its benefits through consumption, olive oil finds many applications in beauty regimes too. Believed to be an excellent moisturizer, it is often a part of many natural therapies and beauty treatments where it is directly applied on to the skin.