How can you recognize a quality extra virgin olive oil?

There are 3 characteristics that distinguish a good extra virgin olive oil from the many commercial proposals that we find on the market:

A clear and captivating fruitiness.
Hints that tickle your sense of smell and bring you back to olfactory memories of the plant world, tomato leaf, cut grass, artichoke but also fruit, dried fruit and aromatic herbs. In short, many, with different combinations, as many as there are varieties of olives grown in Italy (and we are talking about over 500 varieties!)

Bitter and spicy are positive and indispensable attributes of the oil.
Let’s remember this and don’t compromise. We can opt for a lighter bitter and spicy oil but it will be the olive that determines it due to its degree of ripeness at the time of harvest and its varietal characteristics (DNA). The presence of bitter and spicy not only determines the quality but is a guarantee of health.

Bitter indicates the presence of oleuropein, a natural substance from the family of polyphenols with a high antioxidant power and with nutritional and curative elements including the antitumor capacity ascertained in pharmaceuticals (see “Oil and Health”). Try biting an olive and remember that the oil comes from its pressing.

The spicy in the same way warns you of the presence of polyphenols, therefore the presence of anti-inflammatories and antioxidants.