<\/span><\/h2>\nTechnically, it\u2019s a fruit juice: the liquid that you get from smashing up ripe olives. But\u2014as the plethora of resources on different kinds and grades of olive oils alone should tell you\u2014it\u2019s all a bit trickier than it sounds.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re coming to Italy, experiencing the country\u2019s olive oil is one of the neatest, and most historic, activities you could partake in. But you\u2019ll have to taste olive oil to find out for yourself! But what are <\/em>all of those different types? Read on to learn all about extra virgin, cold pressed, first press, and more.<\/p>\n<\/span>How is olive oil made?<\/span><\/h2>\nFirst, olives or almost-ripe olives are ground up into a paste. Traditionally, that was done with large millstones; today, it\u2019s often achieved with steel equipment. Either way, the process is a bit delicate, as the olives had to be ground without <\/em>breaking up the stones.<\/p>\nNext, the oil must be separated from the bitter, watery liquid remaining in the paste. Traditionally, the paste would be spread onto disks that are stacked on top of each other, then pressed, squeezing out the liquid. That would be the \u201cfirst press.\u201d The paste would then be mixed with hot water or steam and pressed o nce more. That \u201csecond press\u201d oil wouldn\u2019t be nearly as flavorful, sin ce the number-one enemy to olive oil is heat. (Remember that next time you\u2019re heating up olive oil in the skillet!) This, by the way, is where we get our idea that the \u201cfirst press\u201d or \u201ccold pressed\u201d olive oil is better.<\/p>\n
Today, though, few mills use this process. Instead, it\u2019s all about centrifugal force: Since water is denser than oil, spinning the paste separates the two components. (It\u2019s the same idea that goes into separating cream). While you could <\/em>heat the paste to get more oil, doing that, again, degrades flavor. So most places split the difference, warming the paste up to room temperature instead.<\/p>\nMake sure to check out our video below on how olive oil is made, too:<\/p>\n
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