italyMONDO!’s Introduction to Olive Oil

To celebrate Italy’s autumn olive harvest and pressing, we’ve recently devoted our Friday Foods column to a series on that one essential ingredient to La Cucina Italiana – olive oil. An integral part of Italian cooking in all of Italy’s diverse regions from north to south, olive oil has become an important part of Italian culture and daily life. But what is the story behind that bottle of olive oil sitting on your counter? In our olive oil series we’ve followed the production of Italy’s “liquid gold” from the age-old harvesting traditions to the many different methods for extracting the olive oil. But with so many different types of oils to choose from, you’ll also want to check out our recent posts on choosing the best olive oils and how to keep them tasting their freshest.

If you’ve missed any of our series on olive oil in Italy, we thought it would be handy to have the articles all gathered together in one handy post for easy reference. For those of you new to The italyMONDO! Blog, we hope you enjoy reading about olive oil from harvesting to pressing to enjoying it with your favorite Italian dishes. Buon appetito!

For the Love of Olives – Italy’s Olive Culture

October marks the beginning of the olive harvest season in Italy, and traveling across the Italian countryside, you’ll find that the olive tree—that ancient symbol of abundance, longevity and peace—is just as much an integral part of the landscape as its luscious oils are a part of La Cucina Italiana. Dotting the hillsides in picturesque groves or popping up unexpectedly alongside a mountain road, the distinctive silvery green leaves and the large, gnarled forms are indelible symbols of Italian culture. The first part of our olive oil series, this article will introduce you to Italy’s ancient olive culture.

La Raccolta – The Olive Harvest in Italy

One of the most exciting times of the year to travel through the Italian countryside is during the autumn olive harvest. The hillside olive groves come alive with activity as nets are spread out under trees and family and friends gather for the harvest. This yearly event is an ancient tradition in Italy, even older than the many century-old olive trees, and the chance to see it with your own eyes offers a moving connection to the past. This article will introduce you to the traditional and modern-day olive harvesting methods in Italy.

Il Frantoio – From Olives to Olive Oil

Once harvested, olives must be pressed as soon as possible – generally within 36 hours at most. After the hard work of the harvest, the freshly picked olives are rushed to the olive pressing mills called oleificio or frantoio. This time of year the mills from the north to the south of Italy run almost around the clock. Much like the different harvesting methods used across Italy, there are just as many different ways to press oil. In this article you can read about the olive pressing process, including the best part, sampling some of the season’s freshly pressed olive oil!

Olive Oil and La Cucina Italiana

Italy is known worldwide for its distinct regional cooking traditions. But no matter where you travel in Italy, you’ll find that olive oil is an integral part of La Cucina Italiana. Without it any Italian kitchen would come to a grinding halt. This love of olive oil drives Italy’s Olive Culture, and the hard work of the yearly Olive Harvest and Pressing that we’ve talked about in the first three parts of our olive oil series here on The italyMONDO! Blog. Now that Italy’s fresh oils are coming off the (cold) presses, read on in this article for tips on how to enjoy them in your own kitchen.

italyMONDO!’s Olive Oil 101

To wrap up our five part series on olive oil, here is italyMONDO!’s Olive Oil 101, where you can learn about the many varieties of olive oil, what the different names indicate, and what determines the unique flavor of each oil. You’ll also learn how to choose the best bottle, as well as handy tips for how to store your olive oil to preserve its flavor from the first to the last drop. What better way to finish your olive oil introduction than with our olive oil Italian vocabulary that will help you find the best olive oil during your travels in Italy.