Planet Olive page 3 of 3

How many of us have gazed up to the sky, looking for answers? Have you ever seen the clouds conversing with the branches of olive trees?

The basics of oil tasting. If you wish to assess an extra virgin olive oil with the aid of your sense organs, you must observe a few, essential rules. There is in fact a ten-step procedure that we should follow in order to discern the quality and peculiarities of oils made from olives

A lesson on oil. Not everybody knows the actual meaning of one of the most important parameters measured in olive oil. Yet often it is conspicuously reported on the label, as if it were a unique virtue, the key feature of a superior oil.

The various stages of setting up an oil mill examined through the eyes of an expert. A journey that will reveal the secrets of the best olive millers, the producers of top quality oil. The installation process can be complicated, and the time factor is critical

Quality of the oil, presentation packaging and container. The second edition of "Le Forme dell'Olio", the international contest organized by Olio Officina, is set to start. Aim of the initiative is to promote and increase the quality of the presentation packaging, and encourage the companies to give greater care to this aspect.

Although little used, there is a fundamental tool that can be employed to protect oneself from suspicious oils: one's nose. Once you learn the basics of oil sampling, you will be able to find the right oil at the right price.

Two roles are usually acknowledged, namely those played by the farmer and the miller. These are indeed two key professions in the field of oil, but they are not the only ones. Of equal importance are the agronomist, the agriculturalist and the agro-technician. And what about the food technologist? Finally there is the oil specialist, who may encompass all these professions or be specialized in only one of them.

Expertise. The Seventh Journées Méditerranéennes de l’Olivier took place last week in Meknès. The increasing popularity of Mediterranean cuisine throughout the world brings quality oil into the limelight. The Italian experience in a speech focusing on the Oleosalusistem project.

It ended in Morocco, after three days entirely devoted to olive growing and olive oil processing technology, the seventh edition of the Olive tree Mediterrean Days in Meknès, organized by Agro-pôle Olivier, the Ecole Nationale d'Agriculture de Meknes, in collaboration with the International University of Andalusia. The initiative highlighted all the innovations, as well as the most recent projects, in olive oil sector.

After consulting various local experts, we can now present an estimate of this year's crop in the Mediterranean regions. An anticipation of more detailed information that will be available in a few weeks time

Food facts. We eat so many olives, mostly as appetizers, or in cocktails, yet we never ask ourselves how they are made. Indeed, most of us are quite ignorant on this topic.