What Does Olive Oil Mean?

The terminology surrounding olive oil is tortuous and will likely get worse before it gets better. Here are terms currently used by the International Olive Oil Council and the California Olive Oil Council, along with terms likely to be required by the European Union.

* Olive Oil: If a label says nothing but this, it indicates oil that has been refined or “rectified” so it has no taste, no discernible defects, good shelf life and no more than 0.5% oleic acid. Enough unrefined oil is then added to give it flavor and color.

Suggestions that it be called “common,” “basic” or “ordinary” to help differentiate it from other grades of olive oil were rejected as derogatory by producers. The European Union is now entertaining the more neutral term “standard.” Whatever its final designation, it is a good basic cooking oil and accounts for as much as 80% of the oil consumed in Spain and Portugal.

* Pomace Oil: Oil extracted with solvents from crush waste and sold in various states of refinement. The edible version, only occasionally seen in U.S. food shops, is called refined pomace oil.

* Virgin Olive Oil: Oil that has been picked and extracted from olives using methods that do not chemically change the oil. The European Union wants to change this term to “crude.” Presently, there are three sub-categories, as follows:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Virgin olive oil with no more than 1% oleic acid and which is judged sufficiently free of defects by certified tasters. The mystique surrounding this grade is perhaps overblown. The European Union estimates that 70% of the olive oil produced by its 15 member states is extra virgin. The Italians, French and Greeks consume mainly this grade. The European Union is considering lowering the acidity figure to 0.8%.

Fine Virgin Olive Oil: Oil with no more than 2% acid.

Super Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A label suggested by Tuscans for a new grade created for olive oil with less than 0.5% acidity. The European Council’s expert advisors dismissed the suggestion as it would “soon include almost all oil at present in the ‘extra virgin’ category.”

* Cold-Pressed: Only allowed on virgin and extra virgin olive oil. The colder and more artful the pressing, the more healthful and flavorful polyphenols are retained during extraction. Extraction methods can involve ancient revolving stones or teeth-like olive shredders, pummeling contraptions or centrifuges. Producers never tire of arguing about which technology is superior. However the oil is extracted, the point is doing it without altering the oil. A hot press would do this and deny the oil “virgin” status.

* First Pressing: An archaic term indicating the oil was not a pomace oil or chemically extracted. Applied to extra virgin olive oil, it is meaningless, says California Olive Oil Council representative Roberto Zecca, because oil extracted in second pressings would not be “extra virgin.”

* Dating: Some California olive oils are labeled with the year of production, but this is not required by the California Olive Oil Council. By law, European oils must be dated. Some of the best oils, such as the Sicilian Ravida or the Tuscan Laudemio, spell out dates; for example “Harvest December 1999, released Spring 2000.” Others employ the Julian code, which consists of the year (two digits) and the day (three digits) from 001 to 365. So oil packed Jan. 5, 2001, would be indicated by 01005.