Extra virgin or extra fake? They color, lighten and make money
Photo: Patrick Landman/Getty Images
What I like most is the distinct herbal nose and spice in the mouth – admits Robert Mackovic. Because olive oil should have a fresh smell and taste. Good producers will obtain these flavors naturally. They will ensure that the fresh olives are quickly transported to the press, the oil is pressed and bottled. But there are also bad “producers”. Those who will cut down hundred-year-old trees, steal the fruits, mix the oils and sell them as Italian virgins. They are just waiting for us to fall into the trap of the “Italian sound”.
- The largest producer, consumer and exporter of olive oil in the world is the European Union; Nearly two million tons of olive oil are produced annually in member states.
- Adulteration of olive oil is now a common practice, with producers earning millions of euros by selling oil blends they present as pure virgin.
- The label of a bottle containing extra virgin olive oil must contain several basic information, for example, the date the fruit was harvested;
- Years ago in Spain, 20,000 people became ill due to consuming a mixture of cooking oil with a toxic substance, and more than 300 of them died.
I go to the store shelf and look at the bottles, one by one. I ignore the ones in clear glass because I know sunlight spoils the oil. Finally, I chose the dark green color that has the Italian flag on the label. There is the inscription “Made in Italy” and even “Fresh Olives”. It's all right, it would be an extra virgin – I suppose.
In my imagination I can see Sicilian farmers shaking the branches of hundred-year-old trees in their orchard to collect fresh olives, and I am already planning to buy bread with a crispy crust, which with this good olive oil will be a feast for them. Palate.
At the checkout, I'm willing to pay more because I know that extra virgin is a first-class product: the oil is squeezed from the selected fruit during the first pressing, the process takes place at a certain temperature and creates the fat. With specific acidity.
Italy. Owner of the Salerno orchard and the fruit of its treesGerarda Falcon/Controlab/LightRocket/Getty Images
Unfortunately, I may be the next person to fall victim to the European “agromava”, and in the bottle I will find a mixture of vegetable oils colored with chlorophyll. I fell in love with the “Italian sounding”. For years, Europol has been regularly reporting on the arrests and subsequent seizures of tens of thousands of liters of counterfeit olive oil in Spain and Italy. Officers describe forgery as a “common practice.” The mafia also has a hand in these dirty deals.
How do we know if we are dealing with authentic olive oil or high-quality “liquid gold”? – The main determinant will definitely not be the color – Robert Macovich assures me.
Hundreds of rows of trees stretch to the horizon
The Petra olive grove I am talking about is one of those that could appear in a brochure advertising the beauty of the area. It is located in Puglia, the region where most of Italy's olive oil is produced. Hundreds of rows of identical trees stretch to the horizon, and green pathways encourage you to walk and get lost in its forest.
-I have 80 hectares of land, and more than 40 thousand trees in total. Half of them are more than a hundred years old, and the other half are dozens or several years old. I plant new plants every year – Pietro Petroni explains to me.
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