What To Look For In Your Bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil For Health Benefits And Flavour.
Summary
- Choosing the best extra virgin olive oil you can find is worth the effort for taste and health benefits.
- Taking time to read and understand the packaging and label is vital
- Learning how to taste test like the professionals can help you choose the best extra virgin olive oil.
- The label on Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil sets the standard for all the key nutritional information you need.
Contents:
- Why Choosing The Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil Is Worth The Effort
- Pay Attention To The Packaging With Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- The Premium Taste of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Really Matters.
- How To Read The Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil Label
When it comes to filling your kitchen with the very best staples to see you through the festive season, a bottle of the best extra virgin olive oil is a valuable addition to any holiday season larder.
Why Choosing The Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil Is Worth The Effort
When it comes to choosing extra virgin olive oil, it’s important to aim for the best quality. Not just for the sake of the dish you’re preparing, but also for your health. Olive oil is an essential part of the Mediterranean diet, which is prescribed by many doctors and nutritionists.
It’s packed with health benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties and high levels of antioxidants. But with so many oils on the market, how can you tell which is the best? Look for unreadable labels that indicate the oil is pure and unrefined. Taste and aroma are also important factors in choosing the best oil for your kitchen. So, take your time and do your research to make sure you’re getting the most flavourful and healthiest oil available. So how do you choose the best olive oil for your cooking and health needs? Look no further than this reminder of the basics!
We loved a recent article from Tastingtable.com which summarised what we need to know when shopping for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It’s key take aways were as follows:
Pay Attention To The Packaging With Extra Virgin Olive Oil
According to Katerina Mountanos, certified olive oil sommelier, the best olive oil comes packaged in opaque glass bottles or aluminium tins – never plastic.
“Olive oil is corrosive to plastic and you’ll likely end up with microplastics in your oil.” You’ll also want the bottle to be opaque because “light (and heat) are the enemy to good EVOO.”
At Morocco Gold, we believe it’s important to read the label on extra virgin olive oil before purchasing in order to make sure you are getting the highest quality product. At Morocco Gold, we ensure all of our labelling information is clear and transparent, including information on polyphenols, which are a vital component in delivering the health benefits associated with a high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
Usually extra virgin olive oil will have phrases like ‘cold-pressed’ or ‘first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil’ labelled on the bottle, indicating that a chemical-free process was used in its extraction. Taking extra time to read the label ensures you get the best extra virgin olive oil for your culinary needs!
The Premium Taste of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Really Matters.
This one may sound obvious but here’s a quick reminder of how to carry out the most effective taste test.
Mountanos explains:
“To taste olive oil like an expert you’ll want to pour EVOO in a small glass and warm the glass in your hand a bit. Swirl it around and bring the glass right to your nose and take in the aromas. True olive oil should smell fresh, like grass or something fruity. Avoid something that smells musty or rancid, or even odorless. In addition to smell, when you’re tasting olive oils, you should recognize hints of grass, fruit, and almond.
It should taste smooth but also a little bit bitter. You should get a bit of a slight burn or pepperiness at the back of your throat – those are the polyphenols (or antioxidants) that have incredible health benefits. The EVOO will not taste bitter on food, it will just add incredible depth of flavor to anything you’re pouring it on.
Katerina Mountanos, certified olive oil sommelier
Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil comes from groves in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. The specific soil conditions of the Beni Mellal region, together with the mild winters and summers, caressed by hot winds from the Sahara, make ideal growing conditions for Morocco Gold olives. The presence of Oleocanthal in Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil is responsible for the peppery/ stinging sensation at the back of your throat when you enjoy the oil. Morocco Gold is made from a single source – using the best Picholine Marocaine olives, selected early in the season, handpicked and cold pressed within 24 hours of picking. Picholine is the most common variety of olives used for oil in Morocco. It is naturally high in antioxidants and it produces very well balanced and creamy olive oil.
In order to achieve Morocco Gold’s unique flavour, no mixing or blending with other oils takes place to ensure genuine extra virgin olive oil quality. The end result is a ‘liquid gold’: an incredibly rare, extra virgin olive oil of exceptional quality, extraordinary health benefits and a taste like none other.
Nurtured with love for generations, using only traditional, natural methods, Morocco Gold retains its distinctive flavour to offer the finest sensory experience.
How To Read The Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil Label
Requirements To Qualify As Extra Virgin Olive Oil: There are strict conditions that apply to defining olive oil as extra virgin
Olive Oil Testing: Our extra virgin olive oil is tested in Morocco by ONSSA (National Office for the Sanitary Protection of Food Products). We carry out further independent testing to IOC standards to re-confirm extra virgin quality. There are strict rules governing the requirements to qualify olive oils as extra virgin, these include:
ACIDITY: Must be <= 0.8%
PEROXIDE: Must be <= 20 MEQ O2/kg
WAX CONTENT: Must be <= 250 MG/KG
UV ABS K232 : Must be <= 2.50
K232 : Must be <= 0.22
In addition, to quote health benefits, POLYPHENOL levels must be >= 250 MG/KG
Product Origin : The origin of the olives used to make the oil, this information is required by European regulation and law
Date Of Harvest: When the olives were picked and pressed
Morocco Gold Lot No. : Unique harvest lot no. for traceability purposes
Best Before: The period of time in which the product is guaranteed to maintain original flavour and properties
Location Of Bottling Plant: Address / postcode of bottler
Reference: Unique Morocco Gold bottling batch number for traceability purposes
Morocco Gold Registration: Company identification
Storage Information: The best way to store the product in order to maintain its unique quality and flavour
Nutritional Information: A breakdown of the dietary contents and properties of the oil, per 100ml
Net Quantity: The net amount of olive oil in the bottle (liters or milliliters)
e Symbol: Indicates can be sold throughout Europe
EAN-13 : Short for European Article Number, this 13 digit product identification code is used on all globally traded goods: the first 9 digits refer to the product manufacturer, the following 3 digits refer to the specific item or product code – and the last digit is a checksum number used to confirm that the code has been generated properly.
