Further to a recent post I went and checked up some facts.
Pure extra virgin olive oil is no more carcinogenic than any other oil, the key is not to overheat it. Here in Italy people use light sunflower or corn oils to fry, keeping the extra virgin for drizzles. The problem is with things like pizza and focaccia that contain low grade oils and are baked at high temperatures. Another problem is with the dubious quality of oil. What passes off as virgin olive oil in Britain is very often low grade oil mixed with some vrigin oil.
Real extra virgin fresh from the press is opaque and greenish-yellow with a very strong and bitter taste- use sparingly (this is how my girlfriend's dad makes it in his olive groves in Puglia!!!). He told me that most commercial olive oil is lampante (lit. lamp oil) unfit for anything!!!! Spanish olive oil was banned a couple of years ago for containing benzinate hydrocarbons. Anyway, most Italians will tell you not to fry with oil because of these risks...!
2007-05-31
00:05:16
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6 answers
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asked by
Miyagi
1