Frequently Asked Questions

The Olive Tree The cultivated olive is an evergreen, usually around 7m tall but can grow to 15m. The trunk is covered with a grey sinuous bark, tends to be twisted and gnarled, and often becomes hollow with the passing of time. The wood is very distinctive, characterised by an irregular grain which is very attractive when used to make simple items such as bowls. The trees leaves are long and narrow, ashy grey green on top and a soft, silky white underneath. Its flowers are whitish and form in small, erect clusters. The fruit, which does not all ripen at the same time, ranges from 1½ to 3 ½ cm and is green to begin with but changes colour as it ripens, turning pink, then violet and finally darkening to a rich deep glossy black. The trees thrive in Mediterranean conditions. They require very warm average temperatures, and cannot tolerate cold below -12°C but are hardy to drought and can withstand high winds. The trees can live for many hundreds of years and they can rejuvenate themselves even after being burned or cut down. What is olive oil? Olive oil is a fat, like butter or corn oil. It is one of only two oils that come from fruit and that can be used without further processing (avocado oil is the other). Olive trees were first cultivated in ancient Mesopotamia, where they were valued for their fruit, but above all for their tremendously versatile oil, which was used for cooking, lighting, and in medicine. The trees spread throughout ancient world, and are found today all around the Mediterranean, as well as in similar climates worldwide. There are about 900 different varieties of olive tree. Much like grapes, olive varietals fall into three categories, according to the best use of the fruit they produce: eating olives, cooking oil olives, or condiment-quality oil olives. Many people are confused by the difference between the latter two categories. Olive oil can be used in place of other fats (such as butter, or corn oil) in cooking. Condiment oils, on the other hand, are used to make dressings, to dip bread, or drizzled over pastas, vegetables, or grilled foods. How is olive oil made? After varietal differences, choosing when to harvest is the biggest determinant of the flavor of the oil. Olives ripen in the fall and winter, changing in color from green to a purple so deep that it is called black. The oil produced changes too, according to the ripeness of the olive. Early- harvest olives (usually picked between late October and early December) produce richer, fruitier oils, often with a peppery finish. Olives picked later in the season (often so late that they aren't picked at all, but are allowed to fall into nets or onto the ground) produce mild oils with little varietal character. They also produce much more oil than early-harvest olives, which has led some unscrupulous producers to mix leaves in with late-harvest olives in an effort to produce oil with the green color associated with more valuable, early-harvest oils. Generally, the best oils are made from olives harvested when they are between one-third and two-thirds black (normally between mid-November and early December). Despite countless efforts to develop mechanized harvesting methods, olives for the best olive oils are almost always harvested by hand, which accounts for roughly half of the farming cost. Crushing the olives Once the olives are harvested, they are crushed (including the pits, which contain a valuable preservative) into a mash, called the pasta. The traditional method involves grinding the olives with a stone whee. In recent years, the stone has increasingly been replaced with a hammer mill.  There are advantages to each method. The stone method is slower and more gentle, but is more difficult to keep clean. The hammer mill, on the other hand, is cleaner, but tends to pulverize the olives; some people feel it imparts a somewhat metallic taste. If the olives are crushed with a hammer mill, the pasta is then put into a mixer, called a malaxator, where it is stirred gently to allow the oil molecules to come together into large droplets. Pressing the mash   In the traditional method, which dates back thousands of years, the pasta is spread on mats, stacked one atop another, and pressed to release the liquid from the pasta. Today, pressure is applied hydraulically. As with the stone, cleanliness is an issue; if not watched carefully, the mats quickly get dirty, and can induce rancidity into the oil.  While the traditional press produces some of the world's best oils, its need for constant vigilance has caused it to fall out of favor with large-scale producers, who tend to prefer the continuous-process centrifuge, or horizontal decanter. Centrifuges are efficient, reliable, clean, and predictable, and virtually all new pressing facilities use a centrifuge. Separating the oil What actually gets extracted from the pasta is a mix of oil, water, and suspended solids. The water and solids will taint the oil if left in contact with it over time, so there's a final stage usually employing another centrifuge to purify the oil.   Once the oil has been separated, it is usually left to 'knit together' for a while, then bottled. If the production is large enough, the oil gets bottled a little at a time, because it keeps better in bulk than in the bottle. What is an extra virgin? Only the very best oils in the world can be labeled 'extra virgin.' Until 1995, 'extra virgin' simply meant that the oil was mechanically produced (pressed, rather than chemically refined), and had an oleic acid level under 0.8 percent. 'Virgin' olive oil was mechanically produced, with acidity of between 0.8% and 3%; other grades follow, concluding with lampante, or 'lamp oil.'   In 1995, the IOOC added a new requirement for extra virgin status: the oil must taste good (what a concept). Oils are put through a blind organoleptic analysis by a panel of experts. They are rated on a 9-point scale, and must score 6.5 or higher to receive 'extra virgin' designation. First Cold Press The term 'cold-pressing' refers to the temperature at which the olives are pressed – below 28°C – and indicates that the oil has been produced in optimum conditions and is likely to have a superior flavour. All MIDAS extra virgin olive oils are first cold-pressed. Filtered or non-filtered Traditionally, even the best olive oil was often cloudy, with bits of olive leaves and fruit remaining in the oil. Improved filtering techniques have created a clearer oil, which is now accepted as normal. Unfiltered oil has a slightly more robust, less refined or rustic flavour than filtered, and is often preferred on the Continent. Acidity The acidity in olive oil helps to determine the quality of the oil and in general the lower the acidity the better the oil. The acidity levels of the extra virgin olive oils are determined by each season's harvest. Strorage Olive oil does not improve with age and is best used before the sell-by date. It should be stored in a cool, dark place, but not the fridge as it may solidify. How to taste olive oil? From the experts, this is the way to do it. 1. Look closely at the oil against the light and agitate the liquid inside the glass to see how fluid it is. 2. Bring your nose close to the oil trying to sense the sensations, pleasurable or not, you can take from the liquid. 3. Taste the oil directly from the glass, but make sure to try at least a teaspoonful, but not much more. 4. Take a breath of fresh air, first slowly then more pronounced to vaporise the oil in your mouth and to allow it to come into contact with your taste buds. 5. Move your tongue over your palate. 6. Take another breath, with your tongue placed between your palate and lips. 7. Repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 a few times and keep the olive oil in your mouth for at least 20 seconds a time. 8. Keep your tongue working well over your palate evaluting all the time the 'retro-olfattive' sensation. Additional notes include not smoking 30 mins before tasting, avoiding perfumed soaps etc and donot eat for an hour at least beforehand. Is olive oil less fattening than other kinds of oil? All fats have the same calorific content so the answer is no. But olive oil contains the highest levels of monounsaturated fat, which numerous studies have shown to have a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels in the body. Healthy on the Inside The health benefits of olive oil were first widely acknowledged by the scientific community in the mid-1950\'s. The virtues of the Mediterranean diet have been promoted with increasing enthusiasm ever since. The diet of people living in the European Mediterranean tends to be high in cereals, fish, fruit and vegetables with the primary source of fat being olive oil. Whilst there is no scientific consensus, numerous studies have shown the benefits of substituting monounsaturated fats, as found in olive oil, for the saturated fats found in meat and dairy products. It is now widely understood that the consumption of excessive saturated fat increases the levels of cholesterol in the blood which can lead to serious health conditions. Synthesised in the liver, cholesterol cannot move about the body on its own so lipoproteins are produced for this purpose. Low density lipoproteins (LDL) transport cholesterol to the bodies cells and high density lipoproteins (HDL) carry it away for elimination. Probably the best analogy to make is that LDLs are large vehicles which often get stuck in the narrow roads (blood vessels) between cells and over time the deposits create blockages. HDLs are much smaller vehicles, capable of getting in and out of small places, so while LDLs create blockages, HDLs come to the rescue and clear the obstruction. The more HDLs your body has, in relation to LDLs, the better equipped it is to get rid of excess cholesterol. Which is very good news for your heart. It is well established that animal fats, which contain high levels of saturated fats, increase blood cholesterol levels. But what happens with unsaturated fats? Polyunsaturated fats, as found in seed and vegetable oils, lower the body\'s levels of both LDLs and HDLs in the blood. Monounsaturated fats, however, control LDLs whilst at the same time increasing HDL levels. Olive oil contains more monounsaturated fats (77%) than any other naturally produced oil and effectively alters the ratio of HDL : LDL to very positive effect. It is also widely believed that antioxidants such as vitamins E and K, which are abundant in olive oil, provide a defence mechanism that delays ageing and prevents carcinogenesis, atherosclerosis and liver disorders.