CHOOSING AN OLIVE OIL from the hundreds of options out there can be daunting. But knowing how it’s made and graded will help you make a solid purchase.
MAKING & GRADING Spain is the largest producer of olive oil, followed by Italy and Greece. Extra-virgin and virgin oil is extracted by mechanical or other physical means, without the use of heat or solvents. And, while the equipment producers use may vary, the procedure is essentially the same: After harvesting, olives are crushed or chopped to a paste, which is then placed in a malaxer, followed by a centrifuge to separate the oil from water and pulp (called “pomace”). The oil from this “first-press” must meet certain criteria to be labeled extra-virgin. If it doesn’t, it may be considered a virgin oil but, again, only if standards are met.
Pure olive oil is extracted with heat
