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Last week I was in Tuscany, a few miles north of Siena, at a guest house of one of the great vineyards, having a lunch to die for. It represented all that was great in Tuscan cuisine, fresh and flavoursome ingredients, delightful bruchettas, salads and simple roasted meats such as chicken, rabbit and lamb accompanied by local wine, the ruby red Chianti classico. However, the most memorable part of the meal was the extraordinary extra virgin olive oil which was served with simple country bread at the beginning. It had that remarkable gold colour with green flecks. The oil was absolutely fresh, barely two days old, and it was a world removed from what passes for olive oil, extra virgin or otherwise, in India. This olive oil must rank as the finest I have tasted, at the risk of sounding pretentious; it was ambrosial nectar from the gods, complex, smooth with a unique flavour, aroma and texture. Perhaps this sense of awe and wonderment was occasioned by the magical surroundings, I was in. The cypress trees, the hills and the autumnal fragrance giving atmosphere to a charming dining room in a 16thcentury villa.

What is known as “extra virgin olive oil” is (according to the definitions of the International Olive Oil Council headquartered in Madrid) obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means under conditions that do not lead to the alteration in the oil and which has not undergone any treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation and filtration. The term ‘extra virgin’ could simply indicate a low acidity, expressed as oelic acid which must be below one per cent. There is also virgin oil rarely found in the market which has two per cent acidity. Both of these oils are freshly squeezed by one of several processes known as ‘first press’ and/or ‘cold press’.Plain olive oil is for frying, it is inferior and fortified with steam and chemicals and mixed with better oils for flavour and aroma. There is also the Pomace oil, often found in super markets, that is from the first press leavings, refined to bring it to the under the 3.5% acidity level.

The extra virgin olive oil I had in Tuscany had a pungency I had rarely encountered.The Tuscan olive oil is distinctive as it is green and has a peppery afterbite. This is in contrast to other olive oils, such as the sweet buttery oils of Liguiria and the green and fruity Luccas. I visited an olive oil processing unit in olive oil country, Puglia on the heel of Italy where the fresh extra virgin olive oil forms the bulk of the economy. Whilst it did not have the peppery quality of the Tuscan oil it had a distinctive fruity flavour.

It is unfortunate that the kind of olive oil that is available in India, Bertolies or Leonardo,
for example, are industrial oils in the sense that they are blended. We do not know where the olives come from. Strangely, as olive oil consumption is growing at 30% a year in India as it is perceived as the healthiest oil to consume, little is known about quality issues. Increasingly, Italy is importing olives from various other countries, including Turkey and the olives are being processed and blended. The only guarantee with some of the more reputable manufacturers is that at least they may not introduce vegetable oil or possibly toxic chemicals.