Factors Affecting The Flavor Of Spanish Olive Oil

Available in a variety of diverse, distinctive and subtle flavors, Spanish olive oil heightens the flavor of your favorite meals. It provides health benefits that contribute to a longer life.

As with wine, the region, climate and variety all help determine the flavor of Spanish olive oil. The most significant influence on taste, however, centers on the harvesting season and processing procedures.

How the Harvesting Season Determines Flavor

Although olive trees may produce crops for several months, the time of harvest significantly affects the overall flavor of the oil. In the earliest months, olives produce oils with a bitter, stronger flavor. Later harvests tend to be milder and buttery.

Mature green olives harvested in the fall produce a sharp flavor many refer to as peppery, grassy or woody. Those harvested in early winter are ripe, purple or black, and produce a smoother, fruitier gold-colored product.

How Processing Affects Flavor

How olives are handled post-harvest dramatically affects the final taste of the product. Freshly picked fruits are crushed whole at the processing mill. They are packed into a mash and centrifuged or pressed to free the oil from the fibrous fruit.

Pressed olives are left to sit until the oil separates and floats to the top away from the heavier impurities. Centrifuged fruit is processed twice to ensure that no impurities remain in the final product.

The separated olive oil is left to age between three to six months. The longer the aging process, the less bitter the taste.

Ways to Protect the Flavor of Spanish Olive Oil

When you first purchase olive oil, it's likely to be at its most flavorful state. Unfortunately, as time goes by, the taste tends to diminish or change.

To preserve the flavor, store the product in a dry, dark, and cool place; such as a cupboard or pantry. Light and heat will degrade the oil and refrigerators create condensation that may dilute the oil and hasten spoilage.

Make Your Oil Last

When purchasing Spanish olive oil, you truly do get what you pay for. If you've spent a pretty penny on a particular import, make it last by stocking an inexpensive brand as well.

Use the less quality product for cooking and save the high quality stuff for salads and uncooked dishes. This will allow you to savor the taste of fine imported products without having to constantly reorder or make trip after trip to your local market.

Best Spanish Olive Oil is made from olives grown on 2000 year old trees in the Castell region of Spain. Many varieties of Extra Virgin Olive Oil now available direct from Spain. Try what many believe is the best Spanish Olive Oil available in the United States!

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Olive Oil Tips

About 

There are many uses of olive oil as it is such as diverse product. It is a gourmet cooking product and can be used in a variety of ways, from making marinades to baking cakes. What's more oil provides a number of beauty benefits and can be used in assisting with removing makeup, moisturizing the skin and conditioning the hair.

Below is a list of tips for using olive oil, from storing it correctly to uses it for a range of beauty benefits.

Storage Tips

Olive oil should be stored in a dry, dark place, preferably in an odourless, sealed container which will make the oil last longer. Do not store it in the fridge as it will solidify and ensure that there aren't any strong smells near where the oil is kept as it will absorb the various smells.

The best flavour is in the first two months of the oil's storage, however if the oil is properly sealed and stored is can last up to 2 years, so treat it with care!

Beauty Tips

Conditioning Hair: Oil has a number of health benefits, from reducing heart disease to slowing down the process of aging. It can also be used on your hair as a conditioner; all you have to do is heat the oil until warm and massage into your hair until it is entirely covered. If you have dry hair then massage into the scalp too. Leave the oil on for 30 minutes before washing thoroughly.

Combating Cellulite: Olive oil offers optimum moisture for the skin and soothes damaged skin exposed to UV rays. Apparently if you combine coffee granules with olive oil you can even reduce the look of cellulite.

Removing Makeup: Extra virgin oil is so pure and non-irritating that you can safely use it around the eyes to remove makeup. Just gently wipe over your eyelids and eyelashes using a clean cotton pad.

Moisturisation: Extra virgin olive oil offer great moisturisation for your face and body. You can either use it straight from the bottle or make a simple emulsion with water which will also help to rehydrate your skin.

Cooking Tips

Heating: Some oils cannot stand the heat of the pan as they have a low smoking point. Therefore, use standard oils and pure olive oil are suitable for frying although extra virgin oil is not as it loses its unique flavour as soon as it is heated.

Using Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Extra virgin is best used in foods which are already cooked (fish & meat) or it can be used to make marinades, dressings or purely drizzled over fresh pastas, salads and breads.

Bake with Olive Oil: While it may sound odd, baking with oil has actually been done for centuries. Replacing butter with olive oil gives cakes and cookies a light texture and it also contains a number of health benefits - it dramatically cuts back on cholesterol and saturated fat content.

Olive oil has a number of benefits; it is used as a gourmet cooking product and also has a number of health and benefits. There are a select few olive oil specialists throughout the UK who take pride in selecting only the best olive oil.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sally_Nightingale