Olive Oil - World's Biggest Scam?

Jasper · January 2012

Is the extra virgin olive oil in your pantry really olive oil or a bunch of chemicals?

That business is among the most crooked, most rife with fraud of any in
the food world. Bottom line: Everything you know about olive oil is
wrong. It’s apparently so bad, you can’t even be sure that you’re
getting actual olive oil inside your bottle of olive oil.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/food/the_snake_oil_r1ZG4GxaSxXjfi9FOgMJCK#ixzz1iaWwZ4Nc

Squeezy · January 2012

Had me worried there for a bit ... checked my bottle ... it is Bertolli looks, smells and tastes real to me!

Village Idiot · January 2012

Wow ! Thanks for the heads up. I'll be visiting Whole Foods or Central Market today.

Mickey · January 2012

Gary CM has its own brand it sells. I keep it for my better and some less expensive for general use. How do we find out what is real and good?

Village Idiot · January 2012

I don't know, Mickey. WPB posted a place in California that he highly recommends. I might give them a try. As for locally, I bet Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma will have some high end stuff, but you'll pay through the nose, I'm sure.

Mickey · January 2012

Gary I use the CM stuff and I like it. I can't tell you if it is real good as now not sure if I have had real good?

Village Idiot · January 2012

Maybe that's why my cannelloni tastes like burritos. :-&

nemo · January 2012

I get my olive oil from CM. It's pressed in Spain from Hojiblanca olives (at least thats what the label says). It's a CM branded product...and is not expensive...perhaps $9 for 500ml. Best of all, I like the taste!

Village Idiot · January 2012

I just got back from Nundini's, a local small Italian deli and market. I talked with the REAL Italian owner. I opened with "I read that the entire olive oil industry is corrupt". He said, "No, only 80%". Then, he showed me 3 high end brands he has. He also had others, but said they aren't good. The brand I bought was Academia Barilla D.O.P. Riviera Ligure. He said to look for D.O.P. (whatever that means). The bottle comes wrapped in gold foil. I have read that olive oil should be kept in the dark. It wasn't cheap - $32.46 for 750ml.

I am looking forward to tasting real olive oil .... perhaps for the first time. Thanks again, Jasper, for the link to the article.

galen · January 2012

Aloha: My Daughter in Law gave me a book for Christmas titled: "The Passionate Olive" by Carol Firenze

I just finished the book and if you are at all interested in the finer details of olive oil I highly recommend this book

If you don't have time for the book you might wish to check out a website for the California Olive Oil Council.

Lots of information on olives and olive oil. I learned a lot. Good reading and good tasting.

Aloha

The Naked Whiz · January 2012

Village Idiot, I'll bet DOP stands for something like Domain of Origin guaranteed. I found this:

http://www.all-about-olive-oil.com/italian-olive-oil-benefits-dop-certification

Village Idiot · January 2012

You're right, Whiz. After reading your link, I looked at the bottle I bought. It had the symbol showed in the article and the words Protected Designation of Origin. Apparently, if you see D.O.P., you can be assured that your olive oil is good stuff.

Jasper · January 2012

I'm also going to have to try some good olive oil! The COOC site has a list of certified olive oils and winners from competitions.

Austin Egghead · January 2012

@ Mickey and Gary. Here is a link for a olive oil producer near Wimberly. We have been to his place several time and like what he produces. He is also very knowledgeable about the variety he grows

http://texasoliveoil.com/

Village Idiot · January 2012

Thanks, Joan. Obviously, I would much rather buy Texan, but this is starting to look like a complicated process. I will definitely try the Bella Vista Ranch in Wimberley, but also the Italian and California places I've found.

Austin Egghead · January 2012

Gary try Frantoia olive oil. It is not cheap, but it is good. You can find it at CM all of the time and Whole Wallet most of the time. The bottle list both an expiration date and the press date. It is unfiltered, so don't let the sediment at the bottom be a concern.

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