Is oil bitter and itchy? It’s good oil, that’s why!
Not everyone knows that the bitterness and spiciness of an extra virgin olive oil is a merit, in fact many people improperly associate it with a defect. Let’s find out together why extra virgin olive oil is bitter and spicy.
Why is olive oil bitter?
Extra virgin olive oil, especially when we talk about new oil, presents no small merits to the taste, namely, it is bitter and spicy.
Bitter is given by the phenolic compounds, present within the oil, which bring a high nutritional value and allow it to be preserved for quite some time. Phenolic compounds are precisely antioxidants that also protect the oil from the oxidation(rancid) process. Of course, bitterness is also given by the type of olive we are going to use in the milling process and its degree of ripeness. Scientific research states that olives milled not 100% ripe give a high quality product compared to those produced in years past, when the oil was from the beginning quite sweet (precisely because the olives were milled with a high degree of ripeness).
So the earlier the olives are harvested, the more bitter the oil will be. In doing so, however, the greater the presence of antioxidants and beneficial properties in extra virgin olive oil will also be.
Why is olive oil spicy (and can it sting)?
In addition to bitterness, there is also pungency in extra virgin olive oil.
The fact that the oil tingles is another great quality that can be appreciated by using it raw, such as on bruschetta, vegetables and soups. It too is due to the fact that there is a massive presence of polyphenols present in olive oil. These polyphenols have antioxidant, anticancer properties and protect against cardiovascular disease. Over time, the tingling sensation typical of extra-virgin oil diminishes, but oil, especially quality oil, will always retain its excellent organoleptic properties over time.
So we can conclude that if an olive oil tingles and is bitter, it is most likely a quality extra virgin oil.
To learn more about the qualities of the oil or taste some excellent extra virgin olive oil from Campania, all you have to do is click on the button below.
Alfio Lo Conte
Tecnico ed esperto degli oli extravergini di oliva, iscritto nell’Elenco Nazionale sezione Campania.
Maestro di frantoio con diploma, conseguito presso International Extravirgin Agency.
Read more articles by: Alfio Lo Conte
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