Fat
Olive oil
Also called extra-virgin olive oil
Oil pressed from olives. Extra virgin is unrefined fruit juice — peppery or grassy depending on the grove. The bottle is not one ingredient.
Origin
The eastern Mediterranean domesticated the olive and built a cuisine on its oil.
Flavour
Fruit, grass, artichoke, or a pepper catch in the throat — all legitimate. Rancid oil tastes of crayons; no dressing will hide it.
How it is made
Olives are crushed, malaxed and spun or pressed so oil separates from water and solids.
How to use it
Cook sofrito, shakshuka and paella in an honest, not necessarily expensive, extra virgin — it is a traditional frying fat in its home kitchens. Save a vivid, peppery oil to finish hummus, soup and tomatoes; that aroma dies in a long simmer. For a hard sear, a quieter oil is less wasteful of good fruit. If extra virgin smokes, the pan is too hot or the oil is old, not because extra virgin 'cannot be cooked'. Do not confuse toasted sesame oil with this.
Storage
Dark glass, cool cupboard, away from the hob. Buy sizes you will finish in a couple of months.
Recipes using it
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