Olive oil is bitter. Why olive oil is bitter and what to do?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Imagine that you have brought from Spain, Greece or Italy olive oil. Friends said that this is a product of the first pressing, made by mechanical means. You kept the gift unopened for several months until you finally uncorked the bottle. And then you suffered a huge disappointment: olive oil is bitter! Why this happened and what to do about it - read in this article. If olive oil has a disgustingly bitter taste and makes your throat hurt, do not rush to pour it out or use it to grease door hinges! Let's not keep the intrigue unreasonably long. You have purchased the best olive oil of all. Its bitter taste is precisely the factor that indicates its high quality.

Fresh and juices

“Only those who have tried them can argue about the taste of oysters,” say the French. Have you tried fries? If yes, then you don't needexplain how it differs from ordinary juice. Bright, rich taste, strong smell and … a little sour. But what a surge of energy you feel when you take a glass of freshly squeezed juice! Fresh is valued much more, because all the vitamins are preserved in it. They are also present in ordinary juice. But in that liquid, which is called "recovered from powder", it is unlikely. From this fruit example, it becomes clear why the best quality olive oil is bitter. After all, it is essentially the same fresh. Only this juice was not squeezed out of an apple or an orange, but from a green olive. Moreover, it was mined by the old-fashioned method, which has been used since the time of Ancient Egypt - with the help of a conventional press. But the oils of the second extraction, obtained by heat treatment, refined, are no longer bitter. But they also have less useful properties. After all, they lose them during chemical and heat treatment.

Why is Extra Virgin Olive Oil bitter

In Mediterranean countries, even children know that good olive oil is bitter. Why is another question, and it belongs to the field of chemistry. Let's look at how "extra virgin" (as its name is translated) oil is produced. For him, they are harvested by hand and only from the branches are green, slightly unripe olives. They must be selected - without bruising, dents, not dried out, not frozen. Next comes the processing. The less producers will conjure over olives, the more useful properties the fruits will transfer to the oil. Therefore, they are only washed andsent under pressure. Of course, now the donkey is not walking in circles so that a giant millstone rotates. The squeezing process is mechanized, but this is the only innovation that manufacturers allow themselves in the manufacture of Extra Virgin. As with fine wine, elite varieties of olive oil are DOP and IGP certified by the European Union. These abbreviations mean that the fruits were collected in a specific, famous region, and the production phases or the entire process correspond to the traditional one. In premium oil, as in elite wines, the terroir, variety or blend of olives is important.

Why is extra virgin olive oil bitter

Now it's time to take a little digression into the science of chemistry. What substances give the oil such a bitter taste? First, it is transferred to the product from the olive itself. If you happen to try fresh (rather than pickled) fruits, you are convinced of this. Responsible for the bitter and slightly astringent taste that makes the throat tear are polyphenols. These substances are very useful for the body. They protect cells from free radicals. Doctors call polyphenols the best for the prevention of cancer. They also play a positive role in the treatment of burns. First-class olive oil smoothes wrinkles, and with frequent use of it, the hair becomes thick and shiny, and the nails become strong. With so many pluses, it becomes less important that the olive oil is bitter. Why not take it in a teaspoon on an empty stomach, if beauty requiresvictims?

What is Pure Olive Oil?

In the countries of the Mediterranean region, oils are produced absolutely without any bitterness. But they are less valuable and less expensive. "Pure olive oil" - Pure Olive Oil - can be equated to ordinary juices. Suppose you have a jar of fresh juice and five of the same containers with compote. You mix all the liquids in one vat and call the resulting composition "Just Juice". Approximately the same scheme operates in the manufacture of "Pure Olive Oil". "Extra Virgin" in it - only a certain part. The main volume is a refined product obtained by chemical or thermal processing. Polyphenols are destroyed during this production process, which ultimately affects the taste of olive oil. Why is this product bitter? There can be only one answer to this question: the oil has deteriorated due to old age or due to non-compliance with storage rules.

What is Romas Olive Oil?

This is a second pressing oil. After the olives under pressure have given up all their fatty juice for a first-class product, they are forced to "work" more. The fruits are subjected to high temperatures and the action of organic solvents. As a result of this extraction, it turns out to get some more oil. To improve its quality, the first pressing product is added to it. Very rarely this olive oil is bitter. Why? Because there are very few polyphenols. In Spain, Romas Olive Oil is used only for frying dishes, andthose that require a large amount of oil (in deep fryers). But it costs about two euros per liter, while Extra Virgin usually sells for eight.

Fuel for lamps

Why unrefined olive oil is bitter, we have already found out. But is it possible to get rid of this aftertaste by using a virgin product? It turns out that you can, if you subject it to the process of refining - purification. For this, olives of the worst quality are taken. They are harvested from the ground, frozen crops or those specimens that have not passed the “casting” are used in order to become raw materials for better quality oil. But such olives are pressed in the traditional way - by cold pressing. Of course, the spoilage of raw materials inevitably affects the taste. Previously, such oil was used for lamps and lamps. Now the need for this has disappeared. To improve the taste of such olive oil, they carry out refining. But along with it, polyphenols also disappear. Mayonnaise is made from such a product in Spain.

So what about olive oil?

To summarize briefly. In this article, we tried to answer the question of why olive oil is bitter and what to do when it happens. We dwelled in detail on the first part of the problem. But what to do if the oil you purchased is bitter? We answer: nothing. Add it to salads. You will see how exquisite the taste of familiar dishes will become. You can also fry in such oil, although it will be a little expensive. Meat, fish and vegetables prepared in this way do not taste bitter.will. If you cannot bear the taste of bitterness at all, heat the product to a temperature of 60-70 degrees and mix with finely chopped garlic. Spaniards dip toasted bread in this mixture and eat it as a snack.