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The best olive oil in the world brand. The most expensive oil Spanish olive oil

You can have different attitudes towards the fact that there are food products in the world that are obscenely expensive. The taste of such food may be controversial, but the fact remains that each of the products on our list costs much more than the subsistence level for the average family. This does not prevent such products from having a stable demand among connoisseurs - some people are willing to spend a lot of money for exquisite taste. We've found the most expensive food items you can buy.

- Melon-yubari -

Yubari melon can very much resemble a regular melon in appearance, but such a melon crop is much more expensive. The traditional Japanese variety of melon grows in only one place on the islands and ripens once a year - which is when you can buy yubari melons for the modest price of a thousand dollars apiece.

- Japanese watermelons -

The Japanese value everything grown on their native soil so much that they are willing to pay a lot of money even for an ordinary watermelon grown on the rocky soil of the archipelago - the record price was $6,100 for a watermelon that weighed about 7.7 kg.

- Saffron -

The most expensive spice in history, saffron is a thin, delicate strand from the pistil of a flower that grows in Southeast Asia. The fragrant treasure costs about $120 per gram.

- Vanilla -

Natural vanilla is extracted from the plant of the same name, the cost of which can reach $100 per 100 grams of product.

- Matsutake mushrooms -

The world's most expensive Matsutake mushrooms are found in several parts of the world, including Europe, Asia and North America. They are prized by the Chinese and Japanese and can cost up to two thousand dollars per kilogram.

- Truffles -

Truffles are incredibly difficult to find and completely impossible unless you have a specially trained pig or dog. The rich, earthy taste of truffles is appreciated by gourmets from all over the world and they are willing to pay large sums for this pleasure. The record price is $160,000, which was paid by an anonymous gourmet from Hong Kong for a mushroom weighing 1.5 kilograms.

- Lambda Olive Oil -

Olive oil can be quite an expensive product - this depends on the quality of extraction and production. However, the most expensive bottle of Lambda brand oil will cost you about a hundred dollars. Lambda oil has officially set a Guinness World Record for the most expensive olive oil in the world.

- Aceto Balsimico Tradizionale -

Modena's black gold - traditional Aceto brand balsamic vinegar can be quite expensive - from one hundred dollars for a 12-year-old vinegar to two hundred dollars for a 25-year-old.

- Kopi Luwak Coffee -

The same coffee of the Kopi Luwak variety, which is made with the participation of the digestive enzyme of a feline animal. The semi-digested grains are washed and fried, and then sold for five hundred dollars per 300-gram package.

Russians became acquainted with olive oil relatively recently; its categories, grade and selection criteria are not known to many. This article is devoted to the topic of which brand of olive oil is better among similar products. In addition to the rating review, the material provides information about the benefits of olive oil, methods of obtaining it, quality standards and selection criteria.

The value of olive oil and its differences from others

A unique feature is that it grows on average for about 500 years and actively bears fruit throughout its entire life. Moreover, some trees are 1500 and even 2000 years old. These are the ones that grow on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

Which brand is best to use for salads is a very pressing question, especially on the eve of the vegetable season. Salads with it are very tasty and healthy. Olive oil contains a lot of vitamins and nutrients. In particular, it contains vitamins A, E, D, K, as well as polyphenols. They have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, digestion and skin condition.

Compared to other types of oil, olive oil is highly digestible due to its high content of oleic acid, which is the main fatty acid in the human body.

Methods for obtaining olive oil

Raw olives are inedible and unsuitable for eating as they have a very bitter taste. To get rid of it, the fruits are soaked in a special solution. Despite this, the best brands of olive oil often have a specific bitter smell and taste, which not everyone likes. This should be kept in mind when choosing oil.

The process of making the product is that the pitted fruits are thoroughly crushed, constantly stirring the mass. After this procedure, the oil is squeezed out of the olives using special centrifuges. This is how virgin oil is obtained. It's always a little bitter.

The remaining cake is reused, extracting the second-press oil. It is purified from impurities and bitterness using chemical reagents, so it does not have an unpleasant odor or taste.

Types of oil by production methods

Depending on the markings used on the label, the oil differs in the method of preparation. Possible labels: Virgin, Refined, Pomace .

  • Virgin is a natural oil obtained by cold first pressing. This product retains all minerals and vitamins. It has only one drawback - it has a limited shelf life. Housewives all over the world are sure that Virgin is the best olive oil. The brand (reviews confirm this) is in great demand.
  • Refined- also natural olive oil, but refined using physical and chemical processes. Refining occurs as follows: the fruits of the olive tree are ground and filled with a chemical solvent, an analogue of gasoline - hexane. Under its influence, oil is released from the fruit, which is drained. Remains of hexane are removed using water vapor, then with alkali. At the next stage, the product is bleached and deodorized.
  • Pomace— olive products obtained by secondary extraction using physical and chemical technologies.

Virgin olive oil

  • extra virgin olive oil— the best brands of Extra Virgin olive oil, obtained by cold first pressing, are produced with this designation. The acidity of such oils does not exceed 0.8/100 grams.
  • Virgin olive oil- this is a marking for virgin oil, the acidity of which is no more than 2/100 grams. This product is obtained from olives that have been subjected to mechanical or physical stress, including temperature. Such oils were purified only with natural components and certain technologies - water, filtration, decanting, centrifugation.
  • Ordinary virgin olive oil- This is also a virgin oil, the acidity of which does not exceed 3.3/100 grams. In its production, only natural (virgin) methods were used.

Refined olive oil

This oil is obtained from virgin raw materials by refining. Its acidity is 0.3/100 grams. This product is obtained using physical and chemical technologies aimed at eliminating odor, acidity and bitter taste. These oils are considered to be of lower quality.

Pomace olive oil

  • Olive-pomace oil- a product that consists of a mixture of refined and virgin oil. Its acidity is 1/100 gram. A similar characteristic applies to those oils that are obtained by pressing from cake using solvents and other physical procedures.
  • Refined olive-pomace oil— oil from cake obtained by refining using physico-chemical technologies. The acidity of this product is 0.3/100 grams.

Quality Criteria

  • Acidity- means the level of oleic acid content in 100 grams of the product. This indicator does not affect the taste. It is believed that the lower the acidity, the higher the quality of the oil.
  • Color. Shades of oil can be in the yellow and green ranges - depending on the type of fruit, their ripeness and processing method.
  • Aroma. Oil that has been exposed to sunlight for a long time loses its aroma. Normally, its odor is determined by a number of volatile substances - alcohol, hydrocarbon, aldehyde, ethers.
  • Taste. Natural oil has a very rich, intense, bitter-sweet or salty taste. A bad sign is a rancid taste that is watery, vinegary, or metallic.
  • Best before date. The parameter you should pay attention to here is the bottling date. The fresher it is, the better the quality of the product. This is why olive oil is never bought in reserve. Bottles with it should be stored in dark cabinets in dark glass containers. The shelf life of the oil should not exceed 1 year.

Another significant characteristic of real olive oil is that when stored in the refrigerator, it falls to the bottom in large flakes. Do not think that the product has gone bad, as it is very correct. Once the oil warms up, the flakes will disappear. However, experts do not recommend storing it in the refrigerator. Preference should be given to dry, shaded places.

The bottle cap must close very tightly. Very important: oil should be stored in glass or metal jars. A real quality product is never sold in plastic, as it is able to split the top layer of polyethylene, as a result of which they get into food. The same, by the way, applies to other types of vegetable oils. The best brands of olive oil are unrefined, this should be kept in mind first of all when buying this product.

Organoleptic quality assessment

When tasting oils, professionals note that they should taste like fresh olives. In addition, the smell of freshly cut grass, plucked lettuce leaves is possible. Even chocolate and anise scents are allowed.

In order to understand the richness of the taste of this product, it is heated to a temperature of +200 ° C, after which it is applied to a glass plate with a thin layer and rubbed. The best olive oil (the brand does not matter here) corresponds to the above characteristics.

When evaluating the color, the oil is poured into a glass in an amount of 50 ml and viewed through reflected light on a white background. The important thing is that not only the color is evaluated, but also the different shades of color. It is believed that the greener the product, the higher its quality. In fact, this is only partly true, since the color of the oil depends on the variety of fruits from which it is produced.

Therefore, it is worth focusing here on a set of indicators: color, smell, taste. If the oil has a yellow color, but at the same time it smells fragrant and has the right taste, then this indicates that, most likely, black olives were used to make the product, and not olives.

Olive oil rating

It is not so easy to answer unequivocally the question of which brand of olive oil is better. Experts are conducting complex research to answer this question. Here are the results of one of them. In 2014, the well-known product quality assessment agency, Research Center NPE Test, conducted a comparative study of 11 well-known brands of Extra Virgin olive oil. When evaluating products, the following parameters were considered:

  • brand authenticity;
  • compliance of the composition with the declared one;
  • ultraviolet absorption;
  • organoleptic evaluation of properties.

The best olive oil (brand, photos are specifically presented in this article) must meet all of the above requirements. The following brands participated in the study: Mana Gea, Premium, Borges, Maestro de Oliva, Hellas, ABEA, Costa d'Oro, ITLV, Monini, Oscar and Ravika.

Oils from Mana Gea, "Premia", and Borges deserved an "excellent" rating. Maestro de Oliva oil was inferior to the leaders, earning a “good” rating. All these products fully comply with the Extra Virgin label. Therefore, the answer to the question of which brand of olive oil is better in this series is obvious: it is the one that corresponds to its category in all respects.

The remaining 7 brands also turned out to be acceptable olive oils, but they were inferior to the rating leaders in a number of parameters, resulting in their rating being “poor.” This means that they do not meet the Extra Virgin label.

Choosing the right oil

It should be noted that the answer to the question of which brand of olive oil is best does not explain whether that oil is suitable for a particular culinary task. For example, experienced chefs keep several types of olive oil on their table. Let's determine which of them is most suitable for certain dishes.

So, the best olive oil for salads is Extra Virgin oil. It will also be an excellent “companion” for pizza, pasta, milk porridge and other dishes that allow you to taste the product.

However, it is completely unsuitable for frying. Which brand of olive oil is best for stewing, baking and frying? Refined grade oil. The fact is that Extra Virgin is rich in minerals, which break down when frying, forming carcinogens and smoke. Refined oil is cleared of these substances, so it can be safely used for frying and preparing other dishes that require high-temperature processing.

Olive oil is one of the most expensive among vegetable oils: for 250 ml of bitter olive oil (“extra-virgin olive oil”) you will have to pay from 200 to 600 rubles. With this money you can purchase from 3 to 10 bottles of classic sunflower oil.

We decided to find out whether it makes sense to pay that kind of money. Are they selling cheap counterfeits made from the same sunflower under the guise of healthy Mediterranean oil with the image of a healing product? Experts from the Society for the Protection of Consumer Rights (OSPP) purchased eight bottles - from Spain, Italy, Greece and Tunisia - and sent them for examination to the Sergiev Posad branch of the FBU "CSM of the Moscow Region".

"Wood" oil

Olive oil is also called Provençal or "wood" oil. It is, goes to the production of soap, is part of the most expensive cosmetics and some medicines. And in itself it is a medicine. This was known in ancient times. “Olive oil is beneficial due to its high content, especially oleic,” says nutritionist Alexey Kovalkov. - This acid is active and at the same time maintains the required level of “good”. Therefore, Provencal oil is recommended for the prevention of atherosclerosis. And it is also useful for those who suffer from diseases of the liver and gallbladder, because it perfectly stimulates the production of bile. Olive oil is indispensable in baby food because it promotes bone growth.”

However, all of these properties are possessed exclusively by unrefined, cold-pressed oil. It can be tart, slightly bitter, and have a greenish color. It is obtained by pressing, without the use of chemical reagents, which easily “pull out” the oil from the crushed olive pulp. in terms of healing qualities it is much worse - after all, it is purified using various physical and chemical processes to eliminate the pungent taste and smell. Pomace oil (on the packaging it says “pomace olive oil”) is obtained from pressings using chemical solvents, and often under the influence of high temperature. There is no benefit to it. This is usually reflected in the price - such a product costs 3-4 times cheaper than the valuable “extra-virgin olive oil”.

Laboratory work

To be sure that what we have in front of us is indeed olive oil, we need to examine its fatty acid composition. In the laboratory, we tested ten main acids in each sample. The most important of them is. In accordance with GOST 30623-98 “Vegetable oils and margarine products” it should be from 56 to 83%. “But if its trans isomer is detected in the composition in large quantities (the same acid, but with a modified molecule that arose under exposure to high temperature. - Ed.) elaidic acid, most likely the oil was obtained not by “cold” pressing, but using temperature or chemical extraction, says Roman Gaidashov, food safety expert. - Trans isomers are present in the product in negligible quantities. But in Russian GOSTs there are no standards for trans isomers, and such extensive studies are not required, for example, when checking the authenticity of a product.” By the way, precisely because of the formation of trans-isomers of fatty acids, which have carcinogenic properties, during heating, unrefined olive oil should not be used for frying - only refined olive oil is suitable for this.

So, judging by the certain amount of oleic acid (see table), the oils are indeed made from olives. The less elaidic acid in the sample, the better (we defined it as 0.2 to 0.4%). The laboratory did not find dangerous concentrations of heavy metals in any of the oils (they tested for the presence of cadmium, lead, arsenic, mercury, copper and iron).

It is also important that the purchased oil is fresh. After all, during long-term storage, the product oxidizes, and the benefits literally disappear. It can be determined in laboratory conditions by two indicators: acid number and peroxide number: the closer their values ​​are to the upper limit of normal, the older the oil. In our table we have arranged the oils in order of quality deterioration. The main outsider is a product from Tunisia. Firstly, the real acid number does not coincide with what is stated on the packaging (which means the oil is not as “extra-class” as promised!), and secondly, the peroxide number is 10 - this is the maximum allowed, the oil is not so fresh. The oil from Greece was not the best either. But the product from Italy and Spain is of the highest quality.

How to choose the best olive oil?

When choosing olive oil in a store, carefully inspect the packaging! Look for the following information on it:

Variety

There is (they were determined by IOC, the International Olive Council; all exporting countries included in it are required to label products with the appropriate inscriptions):

■ Extra-virgin olive oil - natural, the best and most expensive, first cold pressed, only under pressure - without chemicals. Acidity no more than 0.8%.

■ Virgin olive oil is also natural, but the permitted acidity is up to 2% (the extraction may not be the first, but the absence of chemicals is also guaranteed).

■ Pure olive oil - usually a mixture of purified and natural oil, chemical extraction may be used.

■ Olive oil - a mixture of natural and purified oil, acidity no more than 1.5%, usually odorless, chemically pressed.

■ Olive-pomace oil - purified oil extracted from olive pomace (the use of chemical solvents and high temperatures is acceptable). It is most often used in restaurants for baking.

■ Lampante oil (lamp oil) - olive oil not intended for human consumption.

Purified (refined) oil is marked “refined”.

date

Production date. Use only the freshest oil. Useful substances are retained in it for the first five months from the date of production. After the first year of storage, it is better to use olive oil exclusively for cooking (stewing and frying), but not for seasoning dishes. In addition, over time, oils deteriorate and expire. One-year-old oil may still taste good, but it is less flavorful than fresh oil.

Package

■ Indication of the acid number on the packaging. For “extra virgin” it is no more than 0.8%, and the lower the value, the better.

■ Packaging material matters. It is best to buy oil in dark glass - green or brown. After all, it is important to prevent contact of olive oil with air, and also protect it from light - they spoil the product. Packages made of plastic or metal are considered cheaper.

Compound

Be sure to pay attention to this line. There are oils with herbs and spices (for salads), and cheap options may even contain admixtures of other vegetable oils. Such oils are labeled “mixed oil” or simply “mix”. Usually this is honestly written about on the packaging, but not in large letters on the front, but small and inconspicuously.

Applications for the next season have now begun - it will close in February. To participate, you don’t have to come to New York - all you need to do is send three bottles of oil to America, and it will be evaluated by a competent jury. As a rule, there are many winners: the best producers are awarded gold and silver insignia. Oils that earn the highest marks from the jury receive the “Best in Class” award - the best in their class. This year, 12 European oils and six from other countries were recognized as “best in class”: Argentina, South Africa, Chile and Australia.

We tell you about the European winners - now you know what to bring from your trip, besides wine and cheese.

Domenica Fiore Olio Riserva,Italy

The Domenica Fiore company is located in the Italian region of Umbria, in the beautiful small town of Orvieto. The company produces not only oil, but also tomato paste and honey. Products are often celebrated at exhibitions and competitions.

Other oils from the manufacturer received gold and silver awards at the competition.

M'Olive OilCroatia

This year's competition was a success for Croatian producers, with a total of 22 olive oil brands receiving awards. The oil from OPG Makek from Rovinj, a picturesque city on the border with Italy, was recognized as “best in class”.

Oro del Desierto Organic Coupage,Spain

This oil is produced in Andalusia, one of the most gastronomically rich and developed regions of Spain. Oro del Desierto was ranked second among the best extra virgin olive oils in the world and third overall.

MIMI Coratina,Italy

The Mimi company is located in Modugno, Apulia, a small town near Bari. Puglia is one of the main suppliers of olives and oil for Italy and other countries. This region is even called the “olive paradise” - the groves cover almost the entire flat part of Apulia and reach the Adriatic Sea.

Fonte di Foiano Grand Cru,Italy

Unlike Domenica Fiore, Fonte di Foiano deals exclusively with oil. The company is based in Tuscany, in the city of Livorno. Travelers are always welcome here for a tasting - .

La Cultivada Hojiblanca,Spain

La Cultivada Hojiblanca oil, spicy and slightly bitter, is produced in Andalusia. This is not surprising - olives are considered the “green gold” of Andalusia. The Spanish poet Antonio Machado even compared the character of the indigenous inhabitants of this region to an olive tree - they are both hardy and unpretentious.

Castillo de Canena Biodynamic Picual,Spain

Castillo de Canena is another producer from Spanish Andalusia on the list of the best. The bottle is marked “biodynamic” - this production method involves preserving maximum beneficial properties. The bouquet contains notes of mustard, grass and artichoke.

Pago deQuiros,Spain

Pago de Quiros is a certified organic variety from Toledo.

This city is located in central Spain. The old town of Toledo is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Although there are still slightly fewer olive groves in the community of Castile-La Mancha than in Andalusia, the local olive oil is known far beyond the borders of Spain. There is even an olive festival here - at the end of April, in the small town of Mora del Toledo.

VergalFrantoio, Croatia

The Vergal olive groves are located near Istra. The award went to oil from the Frantoio olive variety, which is also widely grown in Italy. Frantoio olives are used to make the famous spicy Tuscan oil.

Dehesa de la Sabina, Spain

Andalusia is back on the list. Dehesa de la Sabina oil is produced by a small company called La Olivilla. La Olivilla values ​​an individual approach - on the company’s official website you can not only read about the oil, but also.

TreFort, Italy

This Italian oil is made near Lake Garda. The company was opened by the enterprising Paolo Bonomelli, who in 2001 launched a new brand and began producing TreFort oil, which has won many international awards.

Noviembre, Spain

Finca Las Manillas is located in the town of Arquillos in Andalusia. It was created in 1878.

Noviembre is made from picual olives, a variety with a high oil content. The variety got its name because of the pointed shape of the fruit (“pico” - top). Picual is considered to be an ideal variety for oil production.

Which brand of olive oil you should buy depends on your intended use. Italians, Spaniards, and Greeks love crispy, still warm baguettes, drizzled with olive oil and chopped tomatoes. And modern salad recipes and frying foods over high heat are also rarely complete without this product.

The best brands of olive oil are labeled "extra virgin"

A dessert spoon of olive oil on an empty stomach for three months helps to cure stomach ulcers and gastritis, while a spoonful of sunflower oil in such a situation can provoke hepatic colic and exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases.

It is also added to lotions, used as a base for masks, hair and skin care products, and even applied to the body for a bronze tan. But most of the properties are associated with oral use - this is the benefit of monounsaturated fats. Thanks to the oil, calcium is properly absorbed in bone tissue, and blood vessels become more elastic. Plus – vitamins E, K, D.

The ideal color of the product is from golden (yellow) to a pleasant greenish tint. The aroma should be reminiscent of spices and cut grass; it is rich and slightly bitter. Oddly enough, this is an indicator of virgin oils.

Selected brands of olive oil: what are the advantages?

The main thing is to understand why the product is being purchased. Refined oil is suitable for frying (carcinogens will not arise from natural “thick” substances). But for adding to porridges and salads on bread, aromatic bread labeled “virgin” is suitable.

The labels contain phrases that hide a lot of useful information. It is important to remember that the bitterness of low-grade varieties of olive oil is sometimes eliminated chemically, which is not always a good thing.

Signs to pay attention to:

  • Extra virgin olive oil is an ideal first-press product with low acidity (about 0.8 per 100 g), which is appreciated by lovers of proper nutrition. Price – from 300 rub. up to 1.5 thousand rubles per liter. It is inferior to Virgin olive oil and Ordinary virgin olive oil. This is also the highest category of first-press products; it differs only in acidity and physical processing.
  • Refined vegetable fats are labeled Refined olive oil, whose physical characteristics are positively assessed by crisp lovers.
  • Olive-pomace oil is created on the principle of combining something pleasant (for producers) with something useful, when they combine first-press products and Refined olive oil. But nutritionists may not recognize such a union.

The lowest standard is considered oil obtained by squeezing from the finished cake. Significant disadvantage: the use of chemicals in the production process and the low concentration of beneficial microelements.

The method of storing the product remains interesting - in a dark, dry place. You can conduct an experiment: pour it into a container and put it in the refrigerator. High-quality oil will become dense and thick, which disappears at room temperature.