taly, which produces nearly a third of the world's olive oil, is distinguished by the superior class of its extra vergine, made in all regions of the center and south and in a few places in the north.
The most flavorful and wholesome of edible oils is used raw in dressings or as a condiment for salads, vegetables, pastas, soups, seafood and meats. Chefs find extra vergine unmatchable in cooking, despite the higher cost. The best oils show distinct character due to terrain and climate, the varieties of olives they come from and methods of harvesting.
Hand picking of under-ripe olives renders oil of deep green color, fruity aroma and full flavor (sometimes a touch piquant). Mature olives make oil of paler color and subtler flavor. Traditional extraction by stone crushing and mat pressing is practiced mainly in mills in Tuscany and Umbria, where oil is especially prized, though most is processed by mechanical mashing and centrifuging.
By law, olio extra vergine di oliva must come from the first pressing of olives by mechanical (not chemical) means and must contain less than 1 percent of oleic acid (the key measure: the lower the acidity the better). Olio vergine di oliva may have a maximum of 2 percent acidity; what is called simply olio di oliva may be rectified and de-acidified. Such oils are best within a year of the harvest, since flavor slowly fades.
Italy has 20 DOP and 1 IGP olive oils listed in their regions of origin. The country is also a major producer and exporter of table olives.
