Olive oil is among the most frequently adulterated foods in the world. It is cut with cheaper vegetable oils, with inferior product that has been chemically “deodorised” into neutrality — and then sold as top quality.
You don’t have to be a sommelier to protect yourself. Six pointers go a long way.
The six signs
1. The price. Genuine extra virgin made by hand cannot cost 4 euros a litre. The harvest alone costs more.
2. The origin. “Blend of EU countries” is a warning sign. The more precise the detail — region, hill, variety — the better.
3. The date. A harvest or bottling date rather than just a best-before. Oil is a juice, not a tinned good.
4. The glass. Dark glass or a tin. Light is the oil’s fastest enemy.
5. The acidity. Good extra virgin sits well below the legal limit of 0.8%. Reputable producers state the value.
6. The taste. Fruity, bitter, a scratch in the throat. If it tastes of nothing, something is missing.