Organic olive oils, tradition above all
France, and more particularly Provence, produces high quality organic olive oils. I do say “oils “and not “oil”, because like wines, each terroir produces a different oil, we will come back.
Farmers in the sector are increasingly moving towards organic. The quality of Provençal products, and olive oil in particular, far beyond our borders. Prestigious names radiate throughout the world and in the greatest starred restaurants : Nyons, the Baux de Provence, Nice, Aix en Provence.
Anxious to respect an ancestral tradition, each region perpetuates historical gestures and varieties of olives. Culturally, the Provencals have always had a few olive trees and go to the communal mill to collect oil and in the collective memory.
Large estates have made a name for themselves and have specialized in olives. But intensive agriculture has never had its place in Provence. The region produces premium oils, and high-end does not necessarily mean “at a high price”. This means respecting the fruit and tradition.
Just one more “jus d’olive”, olive oil is part of this heritage where each recipe will use it to make it the central element in taste : fougasse, the oil pump, the ratatouille, pesto soup, tapenade, the bouillabaisse, the aioli, Pissaladière, le pain bagnat, to recite nobody else but them.
Find the oil that suits us or that will suit the recipe we are developing, will need to taste several, and one day maybe, fall in love with a particular bottle as one falls in love with a wine or a flower. You won't be able to cook without.
Origin of organic olives
When talking about organic products, it is also important to look at the origin of the olives and the terroir. For it, the AOP and AOC are a very good guarantee of this provenance. Buying organic is good for the environment, but buying in short circuit is even better. An organic olive oil that would come from the other side of the world in a container would make no sense ecologically speaking.
What is the difference between an organic virgin and organic extra virgin olive oil? ?
The classification between virgin and extra-virgin depends on the level of oleic acidity. If this rate is between 0 et 0,8%, then the oil can be classified “Extra Virgin”. If the rate is between 0,8% et 2%, then she is downgraded “Virgin”. Beyond 2%, the oil becomes unfit for consumption, we then say that it is a lampante oil. It will be used to make Marseille soap, for example, which contains 72% olive oil.
In our opinion, it is rather advisable to choose a bottle of organic extra virgin olive oil to have the guarantee of using the best products. Most of the oils present on the online store are oils whose acidity rate oscillates between 0,17 et 0,3. They are therefore very qualitative oils.
Organic first cold pressing
It is often mentioned to “first cold pressing” on organic olive oil bottles. Is it a guarantee of quality ? Yes and no. Here again, the AOP and AOC impose this first cold pressing. So even if it is not mentioned, rely on the label of controlled origin rather than the mention “Cold”. hot pressing, that is to say above 27°c, is in principle made for oil in intensive agriculture. This allows for a much better yield but to the detriment of the quality and benefits of the olive oil.. Antioxidants, vitamins E, Omega 9 are largely destroyed. L’argument “first cold pressing” has become a commercial argument that must be looked at with hindsight.
Price of organic olive oil
Usually, the price a bottle of organic oil is slightly more expensive than its little sister “non-organic”. This increase is justified by the fact that the yield of the orchards is much lower in organic farming.. The olive tree is an almost immortal tree, some reach 1000 years. But the olive, is prone to diseases like “Fly”.
Natural treatments based on white clay are now able to fight against some of these diseases, but the production is still lower.
Many olive-growing estates in Provence are going organic and still improving in quality. There's no (or little) of intensive agriculture in this region where the olive is a tradition.
Health and taste !
The benefits of the Mediterranean diet or Cretan diet, where every recipe is based on olive oil, are no longer to be demonstrated. If we add the unique taste of olive oil 100% Provence, we get a winning duo : taste and health !
Olive oil is loaded with antioxidants, vitamin and omega 9. It is a monounsaturated fatty acid, the good fat as they say. But beware, in good fat, there is also fat. Let's not believe as we read it here or there, that eating organic olive oil makes you lose weight !
Moulin Bio
Producing organic olives is not enough. It is also necessary that the mill that presses them has AB certification (Organic Agriculture). Without what, the final oil bottle will not be able to affix the famous logo “organic AB”.
Green fruity, ripe fruitiness and matured olives
In olive oils, you will find several categories. And Provence is distinguished by the “fruity green” et “matured olive oil”.
Le fruité vert is an oil from the harvest of green olives which are pressed within 24 hours.. The shorter the time between picking and crushing, the better the quality of the oil will be “fruity green”. The predominant aromas will be raw artichoke, fresh grass, the tomato see you. It is ideal for seasoning raw vegetables.
A l’inverse, “matured olive oil” will come from green olives that have been left to mature in the dark, in a cool place, pendant 4 to 5 days. This produces a creamier oil with aromas of cooked artichoke., tapenade, the fruits.
Made in france
Many countries make excellent oils. Some PDOs from Spain, from Greece, from Portugal or Italy make remarkable products. France holds an important place in high-end oils due to its terroir. Indeed, other countries produce gigantic volumes, but France does not practice intensive cultivation and varieties of olives, defined by the AOPs, do not have the same performance. This is why you will more easily find oils from elsewhere on the shelves of supermarkets..
In conclusion and in our opinion, buy French AND organic, is to defend a land, defend the short circuit, jobs that cannot be relocated, ecology and traditions. In any case, these are the values that we try to defend on ProvençalBox.