If something distinguishes the extra virgin olive oilbeyond their health benefitsis due to the extraordinary richness of its aromas. In Spain, no less than 200 varieties of olives are grown, each with its own particular flavors and aromas. Although differentiating each of them only with the palate is a power reserved for the most expert tasters, we can all distinguish certain nuances, which make this variety a festival for the palate.
These aromas are a key indicator of freshness and quality. This is what he assures Juan Antonio Parrilla, Scientific-Technical Advisor of the cooperative Picualia gourmet oils. A good EVOO offers a wide range of nuances that range from fruity and vegetal to herbaceous, which makes it a very versatile product. The aromas perceived not only depend on the variety of olive, but also on the time of harvest and the extraction process.
In the words of the oil expert from Jaén, knowing the classification of oils according to their aromas is vital to learning how to use them in the kitchen. “Not all extra virgin combine the same With each recipe we make, there are herbaceous, fruity and floral ones,” says the advisor in conversation with Infobae. “Depending on those aromas and depending on the bitterness and spiciness, you can pair it, whether for a sauce, for a salad… For example, a lettuce and tomato salad, if I want to enhance it, I’m not going to add a fruit, what I do is add a herbaceous variety such as a picual.”
Of course we can use the different types of oils interchangeably, as there is no strict rule. It all depends on the taste of each diner, and the ideal is to know and taste, play with the flavors and try the same dish with different varieties until we find the combination that satisfies us the most. Juan Antonio gives us some indications to understand what we taste when we taste a good extra virgin olive oil.
“The picual, the hojiblanca or the royal, for example, smell like grass, they smell like tomato, almond, alhoza, grass, fig tree…” explains Juan Antonio about this first category. They are oils that smell like freshly cut grassa clear indication of a fresh and high quality oil. It is also common to find notes of artichoke and olive leafboth contributing to a more complex and deeper aromatic profile. Even those that are close to aromatic such as mint, basil or rosemary. These aromas provide freshness and a balsamic touch, ideal, for example, to accompany salads.
“Then we have fruit varieties, which would be, for example, the arbequina, which can smell like a pear, an apple, a banana or a strawberry.” It is the second category within the oils, with varieties in which we can appreciate flavors that remind us of some fruits, either fresh or ripe.
In this sense, we could distinguish between green and ripe fruity oil. In the first category, the green fruity ones, we find products usually made with early harvested olives, and notes of tomato or green apple. They are ideal for grilled vegetables or for using raw. A perfect example of this profile is the picual, with an intense green fruitiness and a marked bitterness that fills the palate.
The second category smells of ripe fruits, with a sweeter flavor, with hints of ripe fruits such as banana, fig, apple or nuts. This profile combines well with meats, warm dishes or even desserts.
It is the last category and the least common of all of them, although as delicious as its companions. “Then we had floral varieties which, for example, could be an Italian coratina or a frantollo, which smell like flowers to us,” explains the expert. It is true that some EVOOs can remind us of wild flowers or even orange blossomwhich adds a sense of softness and complexity to each dish. These floral aromas are more frequent in oils of soft and balanced varieties, and are usually associated with high-end products.
