A Few Words About Olive Oil
Olive oil is an important component in the Mediterranean kitchen. It has been used since ancient tmes to create cosmetic products such as soap, and hair and body moisturizers.
Due to the difficulty in generating large amounts of olive oil from the harvest, and the differences in the quality of the various olive oils, olive oil has been attributed with holy distinctiveness, and was used in ancient times to anoint kings. Olive oil also served in the past as one of the main sources for lighting.
Olive oil is produced on an oil press. The quality of the olive oil depends on the ability to extract it from the olives without heating. This process is called “Cold Pressing “.
The quality of the oil is also determined by the process of grading its acidity. The percentage of acidity in olive oil indicates the percentage of free acids in the oil. The highest quality, called “Extra Virgin”, is produced by the cold press method, and its acidity level does not exceed 0.8%. “Virgin” olive oil can have an acidity level of up to 1.5%. Olive oil whose acidity level is more than 3% is marked, by law, as pure olive oil. “Refined olive oil” is oil whose acidity level –was brought down below 3% by chemical means and is primarily for cosmetics and lighting, but not for consumption.
Therefore, always check for Cold press, Extra Virgin Olive oil.