GRADES AND GLOSSARY
GRADES OF OLIVE OIL
The Australian Olive Association defines the following three main grades of olive oil available to the consumer:
Extra Light: This is a refined oil which is very light in colour, odour and taste. It is suitable for making cakes, biscuits, pastry, desserts and other foods where you require very little olive flavour. It is not light in kilojoules having the same number as the other types of olive oil, 485kj (115 calories) per tablespoon. This oil is a good starting point if you want only a hint of olive taste.
Olive Oil: This is the middle of the range oil which can be used as an all purpose oil in salad dressings, sauteing, stir frying and deep frying. This is sometimes called 100% Pure olive oil but that term is being used less and less. This oil is actually a blend of refined oil with some virgin oil and has a mild olive flavour.
Extra Virgin: “THE BEST” This oil is the top of the range in terms of health benefits, and amount of fruity olive flavour. This should be the main olive oil consumed. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is made from perfect olives crushed as soon as possible after harvest and processed without the use of excessive heat, thus maintaining the flavour, aroma and health benefits of the olive fruit. These oils are sometimes called “cold pressed” but this term is also being phased out as pressing is now often replaced by centrifugation. To make the grade of Extra Virgin, the oil must have an absolutely perfectly balanced flavour and aroma with a free acidity level of no more than 1%.
