Health
What Is Olive Oil? Nutrition, Benefits, Beauty Uses, and More
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Olive oil — and its trendy moniker EVOO, or extra-virgin olive oil — is known as one of the healthiest foods you can eat, thanks to its ties to the Mediterranean diet. Here’s what you need to know about its place in your everyday routine.
What Is Olive Oil, and What Is Its History?
Olive oil is oil pressed from olives. Its use dates back 6,000 years, originating in what are now Iran, Syria, and Palestine, before making its way to the Mediterranean, with its well-known olive groves.
Historically, olive oil has been used in religious ceremonies and medicine, and it has become an important ingredient in food for many cultures.
In the United States, you can buy three types of olive oil: extra-virgin olive oil, olive oil, and light-tasting olive oil. Extra virgin, which makes up 60 percent of all the olive oil sold in North America, can be used for both cold or finishing preparations as well as in cooking. Olive oil can be used in a variety of cooking styles, and light-tasting olive oil has a neutral flavor, so you can use it in cooking and baking when you don’t want the characteristic peppery taste of olive oil.
How Olive Oil Is Made
Olive oil is made from olives that grow on olive trees, most often those in the Mediterranean region.
After harvest, olives are crushed into a paste, which is put through a centrifugation process to separate the oil.
The final product is stored in stainless steel tanks that are protected from oxygen and sunlight. When bottled, the oil should go into a dark glass bottle to keep it fresh.
You can also buy extra-virgin olive oil that is cold-pressed from ripe olives mechanically, without using high heat or chemicals, per standards set forth by the International Olive Council. This is said to preserve chemicals in the olives called phenols, which are among the reasons that olive oil is thought to have such powerful health properties.
On the other hand, refined olive oil uses heat or solvents, resulting in a tasteless oil that can be blended with other oils.
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