L'Olio dei Papi 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil cold extracted produced from the centuries-old olive groves of the ancient lands of the Popes 0,5 LT (gift box)

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Olive oil contains plant sterols which reduce absorption of cholesterol within the gut. Oleic acid is also processed in the body to slightly lower levels of total and ‘bad’ oxidised LDL cholesterol while increasing desirable high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. These effects are most marked with extra virgin and virgin olive oils. Compare bottles: Choose oil bottled in stainless steel. If not possible, darker bottles do a better job of protecting the oil from light.

Lower quality versions can be extracted using chemicals, or even diluted using other, cheaper oils. Buying the right type of olive oil is essential to making sure that you and your family are truly reaping the health benefits that it has to offer.The thing that’s so disturbing about what’s happening with olive oil is that it’s a double fraud because people are being given something that is not healthy. Flavoured or infused olive oil can be composed of refined oils, pure extra-virgin oils or a combination of both. Aromatics such as garlic, chilli and truffle are steeped in plain oil to produce flavoured variations. Flavoured oils aren’t usually used for frying, but are ideal for finishing dishes and for mixing into things like soup and pasta sauce. Bottle – Exposure to light can speed-up the deterioration of cold-pressed olive oil. That’s why producers tend to distribute extra-virgin oils in dark-coloured or opaque bottles. This doesn’t mean you should avoid light-coloured bottles altogether, but it’s something to keep in mind if you plan on storing your oil for a prolonged period of time. How much should I spend on olive oil?

Olive oil is a buzzed-about “superfood” today, but we aren’t the only ones singing its praises. In fact, ancient people in the Mediterranean basin had another designation they preferred: they believed olive trees were sent by the gods. The legend goes that when the city of Athens was founded, the goddess Athena created the olive tree so that they would choose her as their patron, rather than the god Poseidon. Ubiquitously available all across Europe, the Maghreb, and the Middle East, olive oil is an essential component of cuisines originating from around the Mediterranean Sea, from Spain to Palestine. It's so widely enjoyed that over 3 million tons of olive oil are produced every year, with most being produced by countries like Greece, Morocco, Italy, and Turkey — although Spain is by far the world's largest olive oil producer. As with many of the most widely eaten food ingredients, the reason why olive oil is consumed so widely and in such large amounts is that humans have been using it for an exceptionally long time.A strong, spicy finish doesn’t mean an olive oil is bad or off, but a stale or bitter taste indicates that the oil is past its best. While old olive oil won’t harm you, it isn’t very pleasant to consume and should be avoided. One of its most famous uses in the ancient world was in sports. In Ancient Greece, it was customary for athletes to rub their muscles with olive oil before entering the gymnasium. This was intended to help prevent injuries and muscle pain during and after physical activity. Recent studies have confirmed that there's some truth in this ancient practice, and that massaging with olive oil can help ease muscle fatigue and decrease the lactic acid that can build up during a workout. Others have found evidence that olive oil may also have effects as a pain-relieving anti-inflammatory. Besides mixing with cheaper oils (for example, soybean costs one tenth of what EVOO costs), you’ll also find companies engaging in the illegal processing of really bad olive oil. It might be from olives that have been sitting on the ground for months, olives that are essentially rotten. They make an ugly, inedible oil that you can’t imagine putting in your mouth, but then it’s refined at a very low temperature, which takes the taste of rancidity out. Many studies also show that olive oil prevents blood clotting and lowers blood pressure, protecting against cardiovascular disease. Adding true olive oil to your diet can have a tremendous impact on your overall health. Around 800 B.C.E., olives were cultivated widely by the ancient Greeks, and by 600 B.C.E., the Phoenicians traded their oil industriously. The Greeks, ever wanting for more of their precious olive oil, imported it greedily. At the time, Greece was the largest consumer of olive oil in the world. The ancient economy depended so heavily on olive oil that some ancient cities revolved around producing it, growing wealthy for the oil they exported. The silver coins from these olive cities were proudly minted with olive tree motifs to celebrate their source of income.

Extra-virgin (EVOO) is the highest grade of olive oil you can buy. It’s extracted using the cold-pressing method, which ensures the olives are not heated to above 27°C. This preserves the flavour and antioxidant properties of the olives, and usually means the oil has a more aromatic flavour. That said, there have been instances in the world where it hasn’t just been an innocuous mix of cheaper vegetable oils. In an extreme case in 1981: 1,200 people died almost instantly and 25,000 people were hospitalized with neurological damage north of Madrid. It was from consuming olive oil that was in large part industrial rapeseed oil. It had an additive in it called aniline, which is a severe neurotoxin. It was one of the worst food catastrophes and food poisoning events in world history. And nobody talks about it. In Ancient Greece, olive oil was used in the religious ceremonies of the Minoans on the island of Crete. The Athenians also used olive oil in worship. When people died, olive oil was used to anoint their bodies and prepare them for burial.The Italian fraud squad recently announced they were investigating allegations that the country's largest olive oil producers have adulterated Italian oil with cheaper imports from Spain, Greece, Morocco and Tunisia. Taste – While some olive oils have very subtle differences, others can vary wildly in taste. Peppery, fruity, buttery, floral and nutty are some of the key flavours you’ll find in the best olive oils. The largest olive producers in the ancient world then were Greece, Italy, the Levant, the north coast of Africa, Spain, and Syria. Places which enjoyed a particularly high reputation in antiquity for fine quality oil included Attica, Baetica (in Spain), Cyrenaica (Libya), Samos, and Venafrum (Italy). Production Olive oil also holds high status in Judaism. During the exodus from Egypt, the only oil the tribes were able to use to light the Menorah was olive oil. Even today, olive oil is the preferred oil to use while lighting the candles during Hanukkah. Olive oil was also used to anoint the ancient kings of Israel.