Puglia olive oil

Apulian extra virgin olive oil: features

Apulian extra virgin olive oil has a perfect balance: it is neither sweet nor bitter, neither astringent nor spicy. It tastes of healthy olives harvested when ripe: these characteristics contributed in giving to the region Puglia the primacy of producer of extra virgin olive oil.

One of the typical characteristics of the Apulian olive oil is the color: it starts from the intense golden yellow to reach the dark green. The color tends to lighten with time but the transparency and clarity remain unchanged, some type of oil remains cloudy due to the producer's desire to keep some characteristics unaltered, but in general clarity is a peculiarity.

The acidity of the oil is one of the first characteristics that is evaluated before bottling, the value must be below 1% to ensure its goodness and duration. Oils that exceed 1.5% acidity are considered stale and not marketable.

Apulian extra virgin olive oil generally does not exceed 0.4% acidity; when the acidity increases the smell can vary but the taste is not affected, which is why by evaluating an oil, it is necessary to identify the full-bodied aftertaste characterized by a slight itch that makes the Apulian olive oil unique and highly appreciated all over the world.

Apulian extra virgin olive oil contains some substances and elements that help with prevention of aging and degenerative diseases and that provide a fundamental contribution to our health, such as oleic acid, tocopherol, carotenes and vitamin E.
  

The olive harvest takes place between October and December, it is preferred to collect the fruits by hand in order to allow a selection by discarding the moldy ones thus avoiding compromising the finished product. We then move on to pressing or milling to extract the oil in its raw state.

The Apulian olive oil follows a cold pressing procedure, which means that the temperature at which the extraction takes place does not exceed 27°. This procedure allows to preserve the organoleptic properties, guaranteeing all the benefits of daily use of the olive oil.

After milling, will the oil undergo a series of successive steps that will lead to the finished product.

Apulian extra virgin olive oil: the golden rules

• • • • Read the label carefully

It is essential to be able to read the label of an oil well: you need to identify the type of pressing and look for the wording "cold pressing" which ensures its quality.

• • • • Made in Italy

Made in Italy is a guarantee of quality and genuineness, so it is good to identify the collection and production area to be able to buy a real Apulian extra virgin olive oil.

• • • • The aroma of oil

Opening a bottle of Apulian extra virgin olive oil means feeling an explosion of smells: the fruity aroma will remain unchanged until used at the table.

• • • • Don't trust the color

We always tend to associate a good extra virgin olive oil with the green color but this is not always an absolute index: it can happen that even after a few hours from pressing a good Apulian oil turns its color towards the gold color while keeping all its characteristics. Therefore it is good not to rely exclusively on color to make a choice.

• • • • Itching

If we feel a tingling while tasting an Apulian extra virgin olive oil, we will have the guarantee that it is a valuable oil. The sensation will vary according to the type of olives used but it will be a common feature in a good oil.

 

The recipe: bread and tomato with Apulian olive oil

Ingredients

• • • - Slices of homemade bread
    • - Salt
    • - Ripe tomatoes
    • - Apulian extra virgin olive oil
    • - Basil

Method

Lightly toast the bread under the oven grill for 5 minutes or grill it quickly. Cut the tomatoes in half and rub them well on the bread, soaking well everywhere. Add a pinch of salt and plenty of extra virgin olive oil. Decorate with a few basil leaves.