29 julho 2006

Olive Oil

Here are some facts about olives you might not know. It takes approximately five kilos of olives to make a litre of olive oil. Spain is the biggest producer in the world - it has around 370 million olive trees. France has five million. Italy exports 10 times the amount of oil it produces by importing, blending and then selling it on under labels such as 'Tuscan produced'. Its oil tastes stronger in the south and mellows as you go north. Jordan has started to export its oil and its robust and peppery Terra Rossa extra virgin is now available here (£4.28 for 250ml, www.terra-rossa.com).Polyphenols in olive oil have an anti-oxidant effect and are a heart-healthy food. However, heating olive oil for cooking destroys them, so the full benefit is really only derived from oils used as dressings and drizzled over finally prepared dishes. Oil's major enemies are light and air, so keep those fancy bottles out of the sunlight. Oil does not improve with age either, hence the huge plus of buying small refillable bottles by somebody like Vom Fass (...)

The rest of the article appears to ignore what does «Spain is the biggest producer in the world - it has around 370 million olive trees» means. The usual recommendations for Italian stuff, as if their labels mentioned the origin, 9 times out of 10.
Jeez... Do they think the Italians flick a magic wand and the green gold becomes theirs?

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