Olive Oil Key Terms

Become familiar with some important olive oil definitions

Diners and consumers are looking for the best olive oils, and are increasingly savvy about the qualities and uses of this versatile commodity. Whether you are buying for a restaurant kitchen; stocking the shelves of a grocery; adding researching inventory for a health food store; or even planning an olive oil tasting event -- here are some of the olive oil key terms you'll need to know in order to give your customers what they're looking for.

 

Virgin, refined

Virgin and refined refer to the methods used for extracting the oil from the fruit. Virgin oils are obtained using only mechanical, not chemical or thermal methods, and are unmixed with any other type of oil. Refined oils are chemically extracted or filtered to make them suitable for consumption, and may be mixed. Within each type, olive oils are also graded. Most olive producing countries follow the strict International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) standard, which grades oils by percentage of acidity, from extra virgin (least acid) to virgin to ordinary. US standards are less specific, and use the terms pure or light to describe ordinary refined oils. Some olive growing states like California have adopted their own grading standards.
Try: Visit The Olive Oil Source for a full discussion of olive oil types and grading systems. The California Olive Oil Council (COOC) offers a certification program for extra virgin olive oils.

Expressed, expelled, cold-pressed

Olive oils are often advertised as expressed, expelled or cold-pressed, meaning that they have been obtained from the olive fruit by mechanical squeezing or crushing and have not been heat-treated or chemically processed. Under IOOC grading standards, any of the virgin grades of olive oil must be obtained through these mechanical means, but the terms themselves have no legal status and are often applied incorrectly or misleadingly.
Try: Read about methods of olive oil extraction in the olive oil entry of the Food Network's encyclopedia.

Vintage

Olive oils, like wines, reflect the variety and growing conditions of the fruit, with subtle differences based on soil and climate. Recently, some olive oil producers have begun building on the comparison by releasing vintage extra virgin olive oils labeled with the year of bottling, and by sponsoring olive oil tastings.
Try: Summit Vine Ranch in CA's Napa Valley, a region known for its vintage wines, offers vintage olive oils as well as wines.

Organic

Olive oils labeled organic are assumed to have been produced by chemical-free methods from fruit grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. No universal standard exists for organic olive oils, but individual countries and some US states have certification programs.
Try: The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA) has developed standards for organic olive oils. See a slide show on organic olive oil production at the O Olive Oil website.

Infused

Olive oils are available infused, or flavored with, a wide variety of herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables, from citrus to truffle to garlic, for use in cooking or salad dressings. Infused oils begin with a base of ordinary virgin olive oil or even refined oil, because the strong flavors and higher costs of extra virgin oils make them less suitable for this use.
Try: Browse the list of infused olive oils available from France's A l'Olivier exporter.

Fusty

Olive oils are vulnerable to a number of conditions that cause spoilage, off odors or taste defects. Olive oil producers and tasters, like wine tasters, have a whole vocabulary for describing the sensory qualities of the oil. The term fusty is applied to an indescribably disagreeable smell or taste.
Try: See a listing of olive oil tasting terms, including fusty, at the Organic Olive Oil Company.

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