Many of us want to use ‘extra virgin olive oil’ for all the wonderful health benefits and taste, but there’s a lot of confusion surrounding just what distinguishes an Italian extra virgin from an imitation product.
The good news is that you don’t need to buy oil with an Italian heritage to experience the best. With so many locally produced olive oils on the market, you should save the Mediterranean for cruising and rather immerse yourself in South African olive oils.
A recent tasting of prize-winning extra virgin oils from TOKARA turned up great finds at every price. The state-of-the-art winery, situated on the Helshoogte pass outside Stellenbosch, might be more renowned for its sophisticated wine and culinary offerings, but with olive trees being a natural companion for vines, Anne-Marie Ferreira, the founding member of the Olive Shed, saw it fit to add an extra virgin olive oil range to the estate’s portfolio in 2000.
“Our family is passionate about wine and food, and both elements play such a vital role in bringing family and friends together. It therefore made absolute sense for us to plant olives to produce quality extra virgin olive oil that would complement our quality wine range.”
From middle March each year till the beginning of July the olives are hand-harvested and then processed in a boutique pressing facility on the estate. Having planted predominantly Frantoio, Leccino and Mission olives on the property, TOKARA was the first South African olive oil producer to bottle and market single varietal olive oils from these varietals.
How to taste olive oil.
Just like wine, virgin extra olive oil has its own tasting ceremony although it doesn’t include a visual analysis. TOKARA’s Olive Oil maker Gert van Dyk suggests that you pour a little oil into a small blue glass and cover the top of the glass with one hand. Hold the base of the glass in your other hand and slowly swirl it for a minute. Warming the glass releases the aromas. Lift and sniff – positive aromas include cut grass, herbs and green banana leaf among others.
To taste it, place your tongue just behind your teeth, sip a little then suck it in quickly – flavours should hit the back of the throat, and if it feels a bit spicy, that’s also a positive sign. But be warned! The potency of the oil’s spicy flavours might just take your breath away. Fresh fruit, cut grass and herbs should all return in the mouth, elements that contribute to making a top-notch extra virgin olive oil.
The one thing I took home from the informative tasting is that anything that isn’t extra-virgin olive oil is not nearly as good extra-virgin olive oil. “Virgin,” “pure,” “fine,” “light” and just plain old “olive oil,” are not worth consideration. These have been heavily refined into nothingness, a pale imitation to which some extra-virgin oil is added for colour and flavour. Rather stick to the real stuff and keep it local!
