what does the "virgin" part mean?
2006-11-09 10:12:13 · 8 answers · asked by ? 3 in Food & Drink ➔ Other - Food & Drink
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. "Extra" is the highest grade for olive oil--the best you can buy. The virgin oil produced from the mechanical pressing described above may be called "extra" if it has less than 1% free oleic acid, and if it exhibits superior taste, color and aroma. Thus, the "extra" in extra virgin olive oil means "premium," or simply, "the best."
Olive Oil. Ordinary "olive oil" is actually a blended oil product. Olive oil producers start with low quality virgin olive oils. For these oils to be fit for consumption, they must be refined using mechanical, thermal and/or chemical processes. The resulting "refined olive oil" is largely colorless and tasteless. Before the resulting product is sold as "olive oil," the producer blends into the refined olive oil a percentage of quality virgin olive oil to provide color and taste.
2006-11-09 11:28:04 · answer #1 · answered by EoC 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Extra virgin is from the first cold pressing of the olives and has low acidity and is not bitter. After the first pressing the pressed olives are heated to drive out residual oils. These oils are acidic and bitter and don't taste very good. A lot of people who don't like olive oil get that dislike by using the secondary oils. Try some high quality Extra Virgin olive oil from Italy, Greece or Spain and you will see the difference.
2016-05-22 01:21:28 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Extra virgin is the first pressing of the olives and produces the most expensive of the olive oils, then comes virgin and so on down the line to the lesser grades of oil from the pressings.
2006-11-10 07:26:04 · answer #3 · answered by COACH 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best oil (richest, most aromatic and flavorful) comes from the first "pressing" of the olives. That is extra virgin olive oil. They take the olives, press them again and the oil that comes out is virgin. This is less rich, costs less and should be used when the flavor of the oil is not so important (i.e. when frying something that will be served with a sauce on it). Further pressings of the olives continue to get lighter in color, thinner and less flavorful. The next grade below virgin I think is "pure" and I have never seen any grades of oil lower than that.
2006-11-09 10:19:46 · answer #4 · answered by flack_mon 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
well, it is the pressing, but if you want to get more specific, it's the acidity content of the oil (which increases its bitterness). My present understanding is that better olive oils will indicate their acidity on the label. Some countries even have laws requiring an oil to have an acidity under a certain level in order for the manufacturer to be able to sell it as 'extra virgin.'
2006-11-09 10:23:06 · answer #5 · answered by Rev. Uncle Neil Banana Head 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For me personally the standard classic virgin olive oil is the best but you can check this offers and compare those oils yourself to see which one is better extra virgin olive oil or the regular one.
2014-10-07 01:01:52 · answer #6 · answered by Zaman 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's the pressing, Extra-virgin is the first pressing of the olives, if they press the same ones again, it's virgin, then goes down from there.
2006-11-09 10:16:10 · answer #7 · answered by Icefire 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
virgin means fresh or first
extra-virgin is cold pressed from the olives and is the very first pressing.
then to get virgin olive oil you press them again.
Extra virgin is stronger in falvour and clarity but virgin is better for hot cooking to protect the extra virgin flavour
2006-11-09 10:26:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋