Sunday, November 8, 2009

Huile d'Olives Magnifique


What is it that makes French olive oil so creamy?  There is a richness to the French oils that is fundamental to the taste, regardless of whether the dominant flavors in the oils tend toward the nutty, the fruity, or the earthy. If you're looking for olive oils that will give your salads the richness of a great slice of cheesecake, then you have to look to France.

If you are lucky enough to live in a city that has an O & Co. store in your area (Boston, New York, Denver Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco), you should stop reading this post and head over there right now.  If you're planning to visit one of these cities soon, put O & Co. on your list of places to check out.  When you visit an O & Co store, they have a tasting bar set up so that you can sample every olive oil and balsamic vinegar offered in this growing year.  If the sales clerk asks you if you want to try anything, just say "Absolutely, I want to sample everything."  An olive oil tasting session in which every oil is extraordinarily good allows you to tune into the subtle differences between the oils cultivated in various regions.  

O & Co. does most of the leg work for you in terms of finding the interesting regions and making deals with producers to bring the very best olive oils to you.  In France, they concentrate on the Picholine, Acolana, Tanche, and Verdale regions. It is through many years of cultivation and manipulation that these olive oils are so distinctly rich and creamy.  European olive trees are quite hearty and can thrive in very dry soil.  They also have a lifespan of hundreds of years. In France, harvesting of olives for oil usually takes place in November or December, so as we speak, the great oils that you'll be using next year are in production. Freshly picked olives are immediately ground into a creamy paste and then cold pressed to separate most of the water from the oil. After pressing, the oil is decanted in a process where the oil rises to the top and is again separated from the remaining water in the mix.

We usually buy at least a half-dozen olive oils from various regions, which lasts quite a while.  It's nice to mix it up, having some that are spicy, some that are subtle, and some that are flavored.  When you're making close to 400 salads a year, it's good to invest in diversity.