Extra virgin olive oil is one of the world's healthiest foods. As well as enriching your dish with flavour, it also has a high nutritional load. Find out what you need to consider when buying this fat, what it can be used for and what our options are!
Benefits of Olive Oil
Olive oil has a monounsaturated fat profile that favours good cholesterol. It also contains omegas 9, vitamins E, A and K, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, amino acids and antioxidants that promote health when used in moderate quantities and properly.
Extraction and Usage
The way olive oil is extracted is one of the main factors in determining its flavour, quality and usage. There are three types of olive oil depending on their characteristics after extraction: extra virgin, virgin and refined.
- Extra virgin olive oil: obtained from the olives' first cold pressing, it is the least acidic and has the best quality. When cold-pressed, it retains its nutrients and integral quality and has the most pronounced flavour. It is the best type of olive oil to consume cold, usually in salads, but it also goes very well with hot dishes;
- Virgin olive oil: less pure than the previous type, it still retains enough quality to flavour some hot dishes or sauté food;
- Refined olive oil: obtained after pressing, it is further refined. It has less nutritional value compared to the previous oils and is the most suitable for frying, creating a crunchy layer that enhances the flavour of the preparations.
Furthermore, when choosing olive oil of quality consider whether the olive oil packaging is dark or light in colour and whether it is exposed to sunlight in any way (e.g. packaging at the top or bottom of the shelf)as these can affect this fat's nutritional profile.
Olive oil stands out from other oils and is an interesting choice for your establishment. In addition to frying, sautéing, and roasting, consider:
- Seasoning raw food or sandwiches for an extra special flavour;
- Incorporate into sauces and vinaigrettes;
- Confit: on low heat, olive oil confits food well. You can store them later in a semi-conserved state and use olive oil to finish dishes and bring a different, refined flavour to your preparations;
- Use in desserts: those with chocolate ganache, almonds or vanilla, a touch of olive oil can make a difference and create a unique flavour.
Options for Every Business
Depending on the type of business you run, we have several options to suit your business needs:
- Restaurants and Food Vans that want to make a difference in the frying process: packaging with a larger quantity of olive oil is ideal, such as Oliveira da Serra Pet 3L Olive Oil;
- Healthy or gourmet food businesses: choose premium, extra virgin olive oils such as Nektar Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or in a larger size Adega Mayor Extra Virgin Olive Oil Pet;
- Grocery shops and Delis: Olive oil with a good price-quality ratio will impress your customers. The options are varied, but Oliveira da Serra Extra Virgin Classic Olive Oil is sure to impact.
Discover and give us a call!