Olive Oil Flavors

Choosing olive oil is similar to choosing a good wine that complements meats, salads and vegetables. Olive oil has a variety of wonderful flavors. The different grades are based on flavor, but the flavor, color and consistency varies depending upon different olive varieties, location and weather so some oils are more flavorful than others.

Genco extra-virgin olive oil is produced from the first pressing of the olive fruits. The next pressing of the olives produces fine virgin oil. When you find the words cold pressed on a bottle of olive oil it means heat was not used when extracting the oil. Remember that heat destroys antioxidants, so cold pressed offers more health benefits. Extra-virgin olive oils are the purest of the olive oils and considered the healthiest. They are recommended for salads, dipping breads or drizzling on hot dishes to enhance flavor.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil has the lightest flavor and contains the richest array of antioxidants. These antioxidants are considered beneficial because they help the body rid itself of unstable molecules called free radicals and minimize harmful cellular inflammation.

The Mayo Clinic Womens Healthsource includes tips on choosing an olive oil which offers more health benefits. Their study compared virgin olive oil, refined olive oil and the combination of both found that virgin olive oil appears to have greater heart-health benefits. Refined means that chemicals were used to extract the oil instead of pressing.


Olive Oil Flavors