People trying for the first time olive oil Extra Virgin is often asked why the oil is bitter. Some mean the bitterness of taste, others, a burning sensation in the back of the throat and on the tongue. They also say "oil tears up the throat."

Burning in the throat- features of olive oil first cold pressed. She talks about high quality right production and product storage. At first, the burning sensation will be felt strongly, but over time you will get used to it. The stronger the burning sensation in the oil, the more useful antioxidants and amino acids it contains, and the more beneficial it is for our health. The acidity of such oil usually does not exceed 0,8 % .

The burning sensation caused by olive oil helps determine the quality. If you bought an oil labeled Extra Virgin, but did not feel a burning sensation, then this oil is of poor quality. Either it was not stored properly, or it is not Extra Virgin at all.

If open oil is stored long time, it will stop tearing the throat, but will become less useful. This is due to exposure to oxygen. The oil just oxidizes. So, buy as much oil as you can consume in a month. Do not keep the oil open longer.

Olive oil flavor depends on the type of oil and olives from which it is squeezed. Some varieties have a bitter taste or aftertaste (bitterness is sometimes described as pungency), some have a mild sweetish taste.

Good olive oils often have flavor descriptions. So, if you do not like bitterness, you can choose oil with mild taste. Oil with spicy and tart taste will be bitter, but not with soft and sweet.

For refined olive oils Pomace there is no taste at all, since after the process of chemical and heat treatment, almost all useful substances and amino acids, including those that caused bitterness and burning, disappear. This oil has no taste and smell, does not change the taste of the dish. But it has a high combustion temperature, which means it is great for frying, but does not benefit the body.

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Imagine that olive oil was brought to you from Spain, Greece or Italy. Friends said that this is a product of the first pressing, made by mechanical means. You kept the gift unopened for several months until you finally uncorked the bottle. And then you suffered a huge disappointment: bitter! Why this happened and what to do about it - read in this article. If olive oil tastes disgustingly bitter and makes your throat hurt, do not rush to pour it out or use it to grease door hinges! Let's not keep the intrigue unreasonably long. you purchased best oil from all olives. Its bitter taste is precisely the factor that indicates its high quality.

Fresh and juices

“Only those who have tried them can argue about the taste of oysters,” say the French. Have you tried fries? If so, then you don't need to explain how it differs from regular juice. Bright, rich taste, strong smell and ... a little sour. But what a surge of energy you feel when you take a glass of freshly squeezed juice! Fresh is valued much more, because all the vitamins are preserved in it. They are also present in ordinary juice. But in that liquid, which is called "recovered from powder", it is unlikely. From this fruit example, it becomes clear why olive oil is bitter. best quality. After all, it is essentially the same fresh. Only this juice was not squeezed out of an apple or an orange, but from a green olive. And mined grandfather's method, which has been used since the time of Ancient Egypt, with the help of a conventional press. But the oils of the second extraction, obtained by heat treatment, refined, are no longer bitter. But they also have less useful properties. After all, they lose them during chemical and heat treatment.

Why is extra virgin olive oil bitter?

In Mediterranean countries, even children know that good olive oil is bitter. Why is another question, and it belongs to the field of chemistry. Let's look at how "extra virgin" (as its name is translated) oil is produced. For him, they are harvested by hand and only from the branches are green, slightly unripe olives. They must be selected - without bruising, dents, not dried out, not frozen. Next comes the processing. The less producers will conjure over olives, the more useful properties the fruits will transfer to the oil. That is why they are only washed and sent under pressure. Of course, now the donkey is not walking in circles so that a giant millstone rotates. The squeezing process is mechanized, but this is the only innovation that manufacturers allow themselves in the manufacture of Extra Virgin. As in good wine, elite varieties olive oil is DOP and IGP certified by the European Union. These abbreviations mean that the fruits were collected in a specific, famous region, and the production phases or the entire process correspond to the traditional one. In premium oil, as in elite wines, the terroir, variety or blend of olives is important.

Now it's time to make a small digression into the science of chemistry. What substances give the oil such a bitter taste? First, it is transferred to the product from the olive itself. If you happen to try fresh (rather than pickled) fruits, you are convinced of this. Responsible for the bitter and slightly astringent taste that makes the throat tear are polyphenols. These substances are very useful for the body. They protect cells from free radicals. Doctors call polyphenols the best for prevention oncological diseases. They also play a positive role in the treatment of burns. First-class olive oil smoothes wrinkles, and with frequent use of it, the hair becomes thick and shiny, and the nails become strong. With so many pluses, it becomes less important that the olive oil is bitter. Why not take it in a teaspoon on an empty stomach, if beauty requires sacrifice?

What is Pure Olive Oil?

In the countries of the Mediterranean region, oils are produced absolutely without any bitterness. But they are less valuable and less expensive. "Pure Olive Oil" - Pure olive oil- can be equated to ordinary juices. Suppose you have a jar of fresh juice and five of the same containers with compote. You mix all the liquids in one vat and call the resulting composition "Just Juice". Approximately the same scheme operates in the manufacture of "Pure Olive Oil". "Extra Virgin" in it - only a certain part. The main volume is obtained by chemical or heat treatment. Polyphenols are destroyed during this production process, which ultimately affects the taste of olive oil. Why is this product bitter? There can be only one answer to this question: the oil has deteriorated due to old age or due to non-compliance with storage rules.

What is Romas Olive Oil?

This is a second pressing oil. After the olives under pressure have given up all their fatty juice for a first-class product, they are forced to "work" more. The fruits are subjected high temperatures and action of organic solvents. As a result of this extraction, it turns out to get some more oil. To improve its quality, the first pressing product is added to it. Very rarely this olive oil is bitter. Why? Because there are very few polyphenols. In Spain, Romas Olive Oil is used only for frying dishes, and even those that require a large number oils (in fryers). But it costs about two euros per liter, while Extra Virgin is usually sold for eight.

"Fuel for lamps"

Why bitter olive we have already found out. But is it possible to get rid of this aftertaste by using a virgin product? It turns out that you can, if you subject it to the process of refining - purification. This is for olives. the worst quality. They are harvested from the ground, frozen crops or those specimens that have not passed the “casting” are used in order to become raw materials for better quality oil. But such olives are pressed traditional way- by cold pressing. Of course, the spoilage of raw materials inevitably affects the taste. Previously, such oil was used for lamps and lamps. Now the need for this has disappeared. To improve the taste of such olive oil, they carry out refining. But along with it, polyphenols also disappear. Mayonnaise is made from such a product in Spain.

So what about olive oil?

Let's summarize briefly. In this article, we tried to answer the question of why olive oil is bitter and what to do when it happens. We dwelled in detail on the first part of the problem. But what to do if the oil you purchased is bitter? We answer: nothing. Add it to salads. You will see how exquisite the taste will become familiar dishes. You can also fry in such oil, although it will be a little expensive. Meat, fish and vegetables prepared in this way will not taste bitter. If you cannot bear the taste of bitterness at all, heat the product to a temperature of 60-70 degrees and mix with finely chopped garlic. Spaniards dip toasted bread in this mixture and eat it as a snack.

I use olive oil all the time. Mainly for salads. I recently bought a bottle of olive oil, the price was higher than usual, I was tempted. I thought it was probably better quality. I also checked the expiration date and it's ok. Came home, opened the bottle and tried it.

She was extremely shocked. It was bitter and very unpleasant in taste, constriction in the throat. What to do? Go back to the store to make a claim? I asked my friend a question, and she replies that her son has been in Italy for a long time and probably knows what to do.

Turned out to be olive oil. High Quality and depends on the type of olives used to produce the oil. Interesting, and now also recognized than bitter taste olive oil, the more polyphenols it contains.

Polyphenols protect cells and bodies chemicals from damage caused by free radicals, and possibly neutralize substances that play an important role in the development of cancer. In addition, they keep the oil longer.

Olive oil must be kept away from heat and light. Cold will not spoil the oil, although it may cause partial hardening. A sealed bottle can last up to 18 months, but an open bottle should not be stretched too long.

It is best to purchase olive oil in tinted glass bottles as a way to protect the contents from light.

My favorite recipe is to crush garlic in olive oil and use it as a seasoning on bread. The perfect aperitif!

For fast and delicious pasta, fry finely chopped carrots, peppers and tomatoes in olive oil, with garlic, pepper and salt. Cook the spaghetti and stir in the vegetables, making sure to take all the oil out of the pan. This is enough easy recipe to let yourself enjoy it!

Have you ever wondered what to do with a bottle of olive oil that turned out to be bitter? And it's not cheap. I want to say some helpful tips to help you save money in an era of economic hardship.

First of all, we need to find out why olive oil is bitter. Of course, I'm not talking about the mild bitterness of olive oil, but the obvious bitterness that prevents us from eating food.

Olive oil must be stored in a dark and cool place. Exposure to heat and light will in turn cause it to become rancid.

Users should always be sure the bottle is sealed tightly to limit exposure to air. As I mentioned Italian olive oil, it is best to store it in a dark glass container. When buying olive oil, I try to avoid oil contained in plastic or clear glass bottles.

Olive oil will also turn rancid over time, although recently purchased, ask the store about their storage system, it is possible that they are at fault. Apply with a polite letter to the trading company, maybe they will give you a free fresh bottle of olive oil or two.

Now that we know a little about the cause of bitterness, it's time to turn to the possibility of using bitter or rancid olive oil.

1. Use olive oil to lubricate squeaky door or cabinet hinges. Do you know that the door creaks just when you try to quietly tiptoe out of the child's room, or enter the house unnoticed?

Take olive oil and apply it to the loops with a cotton cloth. Store oil with tools or detergents. Be sure to make a label so that you do not mistakenly use it in the kitchen.

2. Use oil when making candles. If the smell doesn't bother you too much, you can use olive oil for holiday candles, Shabbat candles, or for any other purpose. Olive oil is safe and effective tool with burns.

3. Use it for diesel engines. Diesel engines can be converted to run on olive oil, among other means. However, do not attempt this at home without consulting with experts in the field.

4. Use it to soften rough skin or lips, saving on all other supermarket beauty products.

5. Home remedy for ear pain: Warm up some olive oil, dip a cotton swab in it and gently place it in the patient's ear.

There are many ways to save and now is the time to read the topic. Don't throw away your olive oil that has become bitter for some reason.

Mankind has known olive oil since antiquity. It is obtained by pressing the fruit of the European olive. Among connoisseurs, such oil is called "liquid gold" for its abundance. useful substances, vitamins, antioxidants and healthy fats. Olive oil is actively used in cosmetology. But the main area of ​​​​its use is cooking. Oil is added to salads, put in the basis of sauces. Having bought a bottle of olive oil in the store, you can be disappointed when you try it and feel that the olive oil is bitter.

The answer to questions about whether such a product can be consumed, whether olive oil should be bitter, whether this is normal or not, and why it sometimes happens, depends on a number of reasons: the variety and method of pressing, the time of harvest and the area in which it is collected. Many types of offered goods have a natural bitter and burning taste.

In contact with

Quality olive oil costs a lot of money. Buying it, you really want to get quality product. When purchasing a product of the same brand or of the same type, you will notice that in different batches the oil has a different flavor. The first thought that arises why olive oil is bitter is that one of the bottles bought is a fake. But real olive oil is easy to distinguish from fakes.

It's easy to check. It is necessary to put a small amount of it in the refrigerator and let it cool for several hours. Through time natural oil will thicken. Light flakes will appear in it. These are solidified wax particles (simple fats), which covered the olive shell with a thin protective layer.

Do not confuse these flakes with saturated fatty acids, the presence of which in the composition of olive oil is minimized. They freeze at room temperature, which can be seen in the example of margarine, and are unhealthy for the body. Wax does not carry any benefit or harm and is safe for health.

There are no general criteria and standards that define the taste of olive oil and establish whether olive oil should be bitter. It is bitter and may taste simply like fresh green olives or resemble green apples, almonds, spices etc.

Olive oil can be of different shades: darker or lighter

Almost all types of olive oil have bitterness, which can be pronounced or slightly noticeable on the tongue. There are several reasons why butter differs in the degree of bitterness and astringency in different batches.

One of the factors is the country of production:

• Spain (production leader);
• Italy;
• Greece;
• Tunisia;
• Turkey.

The list is not exhaustive. Each of these countries has its own climate and soil composition, which leads to a variety of tastes. Oil pressed within the same country, but from trees grown in different provinces, will also differ. Even oil pressed from trees located at different ends of the same olive grove can differ in taste and affect whether the olive oil is bitter.

The second reason is the type of tree. There are great amount. Different kinds oil trees, for example:

• Minerva;
• picual;
• kalamata;
• ohiblanca;
• Lechchino, and many others.

The variety of wood also provides a variety of olive oil flavors.

Taste, astringency and degree of bitterness depend on the time at which the crop is harvested. Harvest time:

1. In early September, the collection begins quite green olives with little oil. After pressing such berries, there is a feeling of bitterness, astringency and a slight burning sensation on the palate. The color of this product is bright green. This oil is the most valued.
2. In October-November, the collection of raw materials continues. Berries become more ripe. The color of the oil becomes more yellow, and the bitterness becomes lighter.
3. Berry picking continues in December and January. These are mature olives. They are rich in fat and a yellow oil with a mild taste is squeezed out of them. From overripe olives lying on the ground, the darkest oil is obtained, which has a sweetish aftertaste.

The third reason is the way the oil is produced. The berries are harvested by hand. The trees are not fertilized or treated with chemicals. The pits are removed from the fruit, and olive juice is extracted from the pulp by cold pressing. It is defended and separated from the water, collecting oil from the surface. The output is really natural product with minimal processing. Each manufacturer has its own secrets and technologies, which directly affects the taste.

What taste should the product of the first cold pressing have?

Olive oil is a valuable source of unsaturated fats. It contains oleic and linoleic acid, phytosterols, vitamins K and E, chromium, squalene and many other compounds. It has antioxidant properties and is very valuable for the body.

What taste should be in the first cold-pressed oil and why it is bitter, is explained as follows. During the production process, olives are almost not processed - only washing, settling, separation from water and filtration. Therefore, this oil retains the taste of olives as much as possible. The berries themselves, and especially the seeds, are bitter and tart. This answers the question, should olive oil be bitter or not. Organoleptic assessment or examination is carried out by professionals.

The technique for tasting olive oil is simple:

1. It is poured into a glass and heated in the palm of your hand.
2. Cover the oil container with the other hand. Over time, the oil reaches body temperature.
3. Opening the glass, you need to inhale the aroma. Thus, the whole bouquet of smells will open. First of all, the oil should smell like olives.
4. Then a sip of oil is taken into the mouth and kept in the mouth. Through time taste buds feel the bitterness and astringency of the oil.
5. Then the oil is swallowed. And in the larynx should be felt burning and tingling.
6. If the taster experienced all these emotions, and the aftertaste remained pleasant, then this sample of oil is of high quality.

Tasters distinguish about 70 terms that describe the taste of first cold pressed oil. These are shades of apple, and aromas of spices, and herbs. And also: hay, lemon, tomatoes, pepper, sorrel, almonds, etc. Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that real olive oil is necessarily bitter. You can safely add it to food and use for cosmetic procedures. And .

If bitter - is it normal?

Quality olive oil should be bitter. This means that it:

• natural and unrefined, not filtered or deodorized, made from quality olives and did not lose substances useful for the body during processing ();
• fresh and first pressing;
• concentrated (not diluted).

You can draw an analogy by comparing "fresh" with juice. "Fresh" will be more tart and bitter compared to juice due to the naturalness of the ingredients and its richness.

What to do, can I eat?

As stated above, it is normal for olive oil to be bitter. It can be used and is extremely beneficial. As well as to good wine You have to get used to it and love it.

The richness and astringency of the flavor will decrease slightly a couple of weeks after opening the bottle.

If it didn’t work out, consider what can be done if the olive oil is bitter so as not to “spoil” the dishes with a bitter aftertaste

• you can use a mixture of two oils - bitter olive and another type of oil (rapeseed, cottonseed, corn,). This will help "dilute" the bitterness;
• mix with finely chopped garlic, add a couple of sprigs fragrant herbs. For example, basil and rosemary. Let it brew, then use in snacks, sauces and salads. And you can, like Italians, dip bread into such a mixture;
• use for cosmetic purposes.

Ciabatta pairs well with olive oil.

Can it be used if rancid?

It also happens that over time, olive oil changes its taste for the worse, becomes bitter and loses its flavor. pleasant aroma(rancid). This oil has gone bad.

You should understand why olive oil is bitter and whether it can be consumed. To distinguish rancid oil from natural bitterness, you should take a small sip. Hold it in your mouth. Then listen to taste sensations. If the tart taste of olives and a slight hint of spices do not reveal behind the initial bitterness, but mustiness is felt, the product is spoiled. An unpleasant aftertaste remains in the mouth.

The reason why olive oil tastes bitter could be the expired expiration date, which, in accordance with the requirements of GOST and international standards, is indicated on the package.

When buying, you should also pay attention to the date of bottling. If it exceeds 6 months, the oil may be stagnant.

Another reason may be a violation of storage conditions. In order not to spoil the product, you should adhere to the following rules:

1. Keep away from sunlight. Best Option the container for today is dark Glass bottle. She does not let in the sun's rays that destroy useful components oils;
2. It is necessary to tightly close the lid to prevent oxygen from entering the container and preventing the oxidation process;
3. Store below 30 degrees Celsius. Often housewives make the mistake of putting a bottle near the stove or microwave oven. This contributes to the heating of the oil and spoils its quality.

Useful video

Extra virgin olive oil production:

Conclusion

1. If olive oil is bitter, it is natural.
2. A quality product has a bitter aftertaste. It indicates the freshness and concentration of nutrients.
3. To distinguish from spoiled olive oil, you should listen to the aftertaste.

Previously, people could only guess why olive oil is bitter., and accepted this phenomenon as a fact. Now scientists have figured out the cause of the specific flavor and found out where it comes from..

Causes of Olive Oil Bitterness

people like Italian Cuisine and olive oil, as one of the main elements of many dishes. When they wonder why olive oil is bitter, they often think it's a defect in the product. In fact, bitterness is an indicator of product quality.

Olives contain the element oleocanthal. He is the reason that gives the oil bitterness.. But only the goods of the first, best spin contains oleocanthal.

This element guarantees the quality of the oil and brings certain benefits to the body.:

• prevents atherosclerosis;
• improves heart function;
• favorably affects blood vessels;
• cleanses the body of toxins.

How to choose non-bitter olive oil

Not everyone likes specific bitterness. If you are not interested in why some olive oils are bitter, then you may be interested in an equally useful and pure product second pressing.

There is no bitterness in the second pressing oil. And in terms of taste, it is in no way inferior to first-class products. If you believe nutritionists, then the second-pressed product is not much different from the original in terms of useful properties.

Health Benefits of Bitter Olive Oil

It has already been proven that the bitterer the olive oil, the more pronounced its beneficial features . We have already found out the benefits of oleocanthal. It remains to understand the remaining elements that positively affect the state of the body.
One of these elements is a polyphenol.. The natural purpose of polyphenols is the preservation of olives from environmental influences. These qualities are transferred to the oil. For humans, polyphenol is useful in the ability to protect body cells from the effects of radicals. This important aspect in cancer prevention.

remember, that sometimes wondering why olive oil is bitter can be helpful. After all, rancid taste is also a sign of expired products. Therefore, when buying an expensive bottle, do not forget to look at the expiration date of the product.

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