Pleasures page 2 of 3

The sixth Olio Officina Festival is just around the corner: scheduled to take place in Milan, Italy, early next year (from February 2 to 4), its title theme will be "Energy. Oil in motion”. A vast array of events have been programmed, some of which are presented below. Make sure you don't miss it, it is the most important festival worldwide devoted to olive oils and condiments

A foretaste. In the holistic area of the 2017 Olio Officina Festival, Eva Nuti will be coordinating two days devoted to an ancient discipline for controlling the mind, body and spirit. Oil comes from the earth. On the earth, our feet stand, giving us stability, like the roots of an olive tree. Stability (muladhara) is the origin of pleasure, our sense of taste (svadhishthana), energy and fire (manipura), from which all actions derive (anahata). Oil. Energy in motion

An idea for a Christmas present. There is time until December 24th to purchase the tickets for the sixth Olio Officina Festival at a discounted rate. The festival will be held in Milan from February 2 to 4, 2017

This dish is perfect for a evening meal: full of healthy, nourishing ingredients, it will delight every pulse, veggie and herb-loving person. A recipe given to us by Olio Turri Fratelli

The International Olive Council will celebrate World Olive Day to raise awareness of the importance of the relationship between olive growing and the environment, showing the benefits of its products for health and raising awareness of the role of the IOC as the organisation solely responsible for administering the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives

There are no doubts on vinegars nutritional and health value, as well as for their preventive role for our health. Ancients had well understood it, to the point of including them in their time pharmacopeia. The list of popular remedies

Awaiting autumn: chestnut tarts with olive oil and vin santo with apple cream scented with orange oil. A recipe given to us by Garda Dop Extra Virgin Olive oil Producers Association

This is the name, youthful and jaunty, that Frantoiani del Vùlture has given to its Vùlture PDO extra virgin olive oil. A special gourmet edition of this oil is also available. Its birthplace is on a group of hills of volcanic origin found in Basilicata, a small region in southern Italy

Not all extra virgin oils made from Coratina olives can be placed at the same level. Corona delle Puglie, made by Covan, an olive mill in Andria producing Terra di Bari – Castel del Monte PDO oils, is the proof that single-varietal oils obtained from the most renowned and popular olive cultivar grown in Italy can be strikingly different and original. Here are three oils with different degrees of fruitiness

The organizational machinery in charge of the sixth Olio Officina Festival is already at work. Next year’s event will be held in Milan, Italy, from February 2 to 4, 2017. The keyword this time is energy, intended as power, vigour, an agent of change. In a way this is the opposite of what oil is usually considered, i.e. a soothing element, something to pour over troubled waters.

A recipe given to us by Pantaleo, a company located in Fasano di Puglia, southern Italia. This is an “oil-centred” dish, hence the extra virgin employed, Selezione Oro, is one of its key features. How fruity should an oil be to pair with ingredients such as pasta, aubergine, tomato, basil leaves? What is best, light, intermediate or intense fruitiness?

At an oil tasting session during the 2016 Olio Officina Festival, we were very favourably impressed by Sagra Oro, a low-acidity extra virgin olive oil. This sapid, harmonious and very palatable oil is extremely versatile, has all the bearings of a great personality, as well as a delightful balance of bitterness and pungency

Its name is Selezione Oro (Gold Selection), and bears the signature of Luigi Santagata. Selezione Oro is one of the extra virgin oils produced by a company near Genoa that has been operating in this field since 1907. At the head of the enterprise are siblings Federico and Cristina, the fifth generation of an internationally acclaimed family of oil-makers.

Every year the Olio Officina Festival presents an award for outstanding contributions in the field of olive oil. This year’s winners were three Italians and a Spaniard. Here is who they are

The winners of the contest organized by Olio Officina are the Italian "Fratelli De Cecco" in the presentation packaging class, and the Spanish company "Casas de Hualdo" for the Horeca and mass retail channels category. The product line made by another Italian firm, "Domenico Manca-San Giuliano", received a special award, whereas a limited edition by "Mia Italy" won the prize for originality of style

Chicken, as envisioned by Sicilian cook-farmer Ciccio Sultano, with a little oil, garlic, soy sauce, butter, broth and a few more ingredients

A series of pictures announces the fifth edition of this great event dedicated to olive oils and condiments. The appointment is in Milan, Italy, from January 21 to 23, 2016

The fifth Olio Officina Festival, taking place in Milan from January 21 to 23, will be avant-garde. Being avant-garde means being at the forefront, in front of everybody before anybody else, hence becoming a guide and leader. Often we fear the unknown, but as we should all know, the future provides nourishment for tradition. Among the novelties of next year’s festival there is a sector devoted to books on gastronomy, agriculture and the environment

Made from cooked grape must, Agresto is a sweet, dense vinegar, with a strong acidulous note. This sweet and sour condiment was known and used in Ancient Rome and it continued to be popular in Medieval times. In all of those territories where grapes were grown, it was used to flavor meats and vegetables or as the main ingredient in more elaborate sauces

The first of many postcards that will be issued from now until next January, to promote this great event. We are getting ready for the fifth edition of the festival, and many are its novelties: the theme (Avant-garde: the oil of the future), the logo, more modern and stylized, and the elimination of the word “Food” from the name of the festival

Dedicated technologies, eight themed workshops, training and updating for the relaunch of a sector which is essential for "Made in Italy"

Here is one recipe, taken from cookbooks of Acetaia Giuseppe Cremonini. A creation of Chef Stefano Molaschi

An introduction to the conference by Greg Drescher, Vice President & Strategic Initiatives of The Culinary Institute of America and one of the most influential experts in Food and Nutrition worldwide

Italian oils. Made from Bosana and Semidana olives, Domenico and Pasquale Manca’s “San Giuliano” Sardinia PDO oil is one of the best examples of the extra virgin oils produced on this island

This is an oil that bears the hallmark of its place of origin, namely Montalbano, in Tuscany. It is made with the greatest care, and deserves to be tasted raw, drizzled over a variety of dishes, although it is also ideal for cooking

The fourth Olio Officina Food Festival has just ended and already the organizers are working on next year’s edition, which will take place in Milan from January 21 to 23, 2016. The theme chosen is the future, hence the name “Avant-garde, the oil of the future and the future of oil”

This extra virgin olive oil, produced in northern Italy, in the environs of Lake Garda, bears traces of an illustrious past

It’s good, it’s good. The good thing about olive oil is that it is rapidly and completely absorbed by the skin. Unlike other vegetable oils that only act as moisturizers, olive oil also has nourishing properties. We should therefore re-acknowledge the benefits of dousing our skin with oil. As occurred during the Olio Officina Food Festival