A common sense guide to olive oil

Olive oil is coming into its own in America. I liken it to what happened forty years ago when wine became a regular part of our cuisine. I was in Berkeley at the time and remember my friends and I buying jugs of generic red or white wine for parties and picnics. As soon as the people around us got used to having wine as part of their meals, we became interested in quality rather than price. Today even budget supermarkets have shelves filled with quality wines from around the world.

The past few years have seen the arrival of generic olive oil. In fact, in the United States, we are spending more on olive oil than any other vegetable oil! Quality is becoming more important as we find all kinds of interesting new ways to use olive oil (out goes the Creamy Ranch dressing!). Just as you have learned about wine, I would like to help you learn about the fascinating world of olive oil. We at spain-recipes.com have the most extensive selection of Spanish olive oils in the country. The choices may seem intimidating. But armed with this background, I hope you will feel confident as you select the oils that you will particularly enjoy.

A little background

Duo of 'First Day of Harvest' Extra Virgin Olive Oils: This spectacular pair of extra virgin oils comes exclusively from olives cold pressed on the very first day of the harvest. Brilliant green and bursting with bright fresh olive flavor, both of these delicious oils are among the best we have ever tried.

Olive cultivation began in the Middle East over 5,000 years ago and gradually spread westward throughout the Mediterranean basin. In Biblical times, it was used as a sanctifying oil for kings, prophets and holy people from Samuel to Jesus. The practice continues to this day in some churches when people are anointed with holy oil. For the Greeks, olives and olive oil are not only important foods but also symbols of holiness, courage and life.

Spain provided the bulk of the olive oil to the Roman Empire. Archeologists in Rome found a mountain composed of 40,000,000 earthenware vessels that were precisely labeled according to the Spanish producers in Andalucía. To this day Spain produces almost as much olive oil as the rest of the world combined. 262 varieties of olives are grown in Spain.

Here at spain-recipes.com you can have your pick of a broad selection of the finest extra virgin olive oil from Spain, the world's leading producer of olive oil, with approximately 975,000 tons produced per year. Over 250,000,000 olive trees grow in Spain covering 7,720 square miles of plantations that stretch as far as the eye can see. Some of them are over one thousand years old!