I used to hate olives, although I have always loved the oil, but then Vi happened, and it's basically illegal not to eat olives if you intend to marry a Spaniard, so that was awkward. I've been busy learning lots about what makes olive oil so fabulous, including how it could transform your health.
It's long been known that the Mediterranean diet is great for heart health, healthy aging, and long life, and we're only just starting to understand exactly why that is. Unsurprisingly though olive oil, alongside a predominantly plant based diet, plays a very important part. It regulates blood sugar, helps with weight management, and prevents long-term disease. This said, not all olive oils are born equal, the way you eat it, where it comes from, and how it's made can affect it's health benefits and taste.
Here we take a little look at what makes a good quality oil, when and how to use it and store it, and how the Honest Toil extra virgin olive oil in the shop stacks up.
Storage
Olive oil needs to be kept right to keep it at it's best, so always store olive oil away from fluctuating temperatures, so away from the hob, but also away from the windowsill. In a cupboard is ideal.
Light can also affect oil, so it is generally agreed that storing in a metal can works very well. A coloured glass bottle also works well, and a clear glass bottle (if stored inside a cupboard) can be used at the table.
Oil Harvesting and Pressing
The olives used for our oil come exclusively from small family farms, and are hand-harvested using traditional methods, without unnecessary strain on the tree or the disruption of wildlife. On larger farms it is common for this to be done mechanically, which can be particularly damaging to birdlife.
To preserve the polyphenol content of the olives, they should be pressed as soon as possible after harvest. In the shop, our oil is pressed the same day using the family owned village press, but most oils will have to be transported before pressing, sometimes a day or more later, which leads to a lower polyphenol count (and therefore reduces the health benefits and quality of the oil).
Oil Purity
Quite a number of extra virgin olive oils (and most lower grade oils) are blended, meaning they mix together different harvests/crops/grades into a blend. The best oils will be from a single variety of olive, and from a single harvest.
Our oil is completely unblended, and unfiltered, so once pressed, it isn’t put through any additional processes. Everything is pressed the same day it’s picked and the oil has an acidity of between 0.2-0.3%, which is pretty impressively low. As it's unfiltered, the oil contains the sediment from olive skins and pips, giving it a great green opaqueness with a thick texture, and the raw, grassy result is pretty much the same thing the ancient Greeks would have consumed! In winter when the container gets cold, it will thicken, and the colour changes to a bright yellowy green, but once warmed it goes back to the more familiar colour and thickness.
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are natural compounds found in plant based foods, and for the plants that hold them, they play a role in protecting them against aggressors, such as sun damage, insects, and pathogens. Humans can also draw benefits from these compounds. Many polyphenols are antioxidants. Some also carry strong anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. Because Olive oil is naturally pressed, much like a citrus fruit juice, it remains packed full of polyphenols and antioxidants throughout their shelf life.
The current batch of oil we offer in store has been tested for its' polyphenol count, had a Polyphenol level of 410mg/kg - significantly above the 250mg/kg EU Regulation to be regarded as "high-polyphenol" content olive oil!
Our oil is "agoureleo" (early harvest), properly cold-pressed, and solely from Koroneiki olives (the olive variety with the highest polyphenol count in the world!). We pick before fully ripe, and press the same day, so all the necessities for the much-coveted high Polyphenol content!
When and where to use it
Olive oil is definitely not like a good wine. It's health benefits and taste deteriorate with time, so if you've been given a posh bottle, use it up! Olive oil is good for 18 months from harvest, so check the bottle for the harvest date. (At the time of writing our oil is from the latest harvest, November 2023)
In terms of polyphenol content, it is at it's highest when drizzled on salads. Unsurprisingly the count drops the longer you apply heat to it. That said, the polyphenol count in a good olive oil that has been used for cooking will still be significantly higher than that of any other oil, even if drizzled.
Cooking with olive oil is fab. There is a bit of an urban myth that you shouldn't fry or roast with olive oil (try telling that to someone from the Mediterranean coastline!), but this has been long disproven. The smoke point for olive oil is around 200 degrees, so higher than frying achieves, so feel free to use it for frying, baking and roasting.
Using olive oil anywhere you would usually use butter is a great way to get extra health benefits (whilst also reducing unhealthy fats at the same time)., so drizzle it on toast and add a pinch of salt and rub a sliced tomato onto it....mmmm! You can use it to make the most delicious mashed potatoes too.
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