Olive Oil
Today we had the chance to have a local olive oil producer come into the castello and teach us how to taste and produce olive oil. I have never really liked olive oil to be honest, but I truly know why now.
When you are given Olive oil that meets the standards of the Italian government and passes with flying colors, then you can taste the difference. All the olive oil I have had up to this point was nothing compared to my first taste of true olive oil. Bitter, fruity and overall floral in every aspect. It brought with it a beautiful aroma of local herbs and spices, allowing me to visualize walking through fields of olive trees and taking in all of the beautiful smells, but not the flavor of fresh olives though, cause those little things are bitter as all hell. When we finished tasting, we were allowed to taste the bitter fruit of the old, twisted trees that surround the town of Ugento.
To say the least, my mouth puckered up as soon as the fruit hit my taste buds. Such as strong bitterness, yet it cleansed my pallet of all the oily textures from the olive oil. It was the weirdest thing to think about, how can this fruit be distilled into oil if it takes away the oil if it's eaten raw? I'll leave that up to the people that make it and continue to use true olive oil. Gratzie Mille e Ciao.
Italian Word of the Day: DOP, or Denominazione di Origine Protettata
This is an Italian law that dictate that certain named products can only be made in certain regions. This also applies heavily to Olive oil, as most of Italy grows olives and makes olive oil, but only few are used for consumption. This law can also be used for Wines, but it is DOC instead.
When you are given Olive oil that meets the standards of the Italian government and passes with flying colors, then you can taste the difference. All the olive oil I have had up to this point was nothing compared to my first taste of true olive oil. Bitter, fruity and overall floral in every aspect. It brought with it a beautiful aroma of local herbs and spices, allowing me to visualize walking through fields of olive trees and taking in all of the beautiful smells, but not the flavor of fresh olives though, cause those little things are bitter as all hell. When we finished tasting, we were allowed to taste the bitter fruit of the old, twisted trees that surround the town of Ugento.
To say the least, my mouth puckered up as soon as the fruit hit my taste buds. Such as strong bitterness, yet it cleansed my pallet of all the oily textures from the olive oil. It was the weirdest thing to think about, how can this fruit be distilled into oil if it takes away the oil if it's eaten raw? I'll leave that up to the people that make it and continue to use true olive oil. Gratzie Mille e Ciao.
Italian Word of the Day: DOP, or Denominazione di Origine Protettata
This is an Italian law that dictate that certain named products can only be made in certain regions. This also applies heavily to Olive oil, as most of Italy grows olives and makes olive oil, but only few are used for consumption. This law can also be used for Wines, but it is DOC instead.
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