Quote:
Originally Posted by ApK
In the case of EVOO, though, assuming it's not laced with arsenic or something, it's really a matter of taste, no? So like with wine, if bottle of cheap stuff tastes good with your food, there is little reason to spend more, right?
That is, if you buy a bottle of EVOO and like it, does it really matter?
|
Essential Fatty Acids, for one. More Omega-3 than veggie oils (which tend to be mostly Omega-6, the "bad" (or "not-as-good") EFA.
Then there are Antioxidants (polyphenols are a major player in the taste), natural pigments (carotenoids, for example, are good for you eyes), some vitamins (E, K) and a few others, I'm sure.
At least most fakes don't use artificial colors to make them look extra virgin (but I don't doubt many do). Rapeseed is no doubt one of the major players in the fakes - a mustard relative that is sort of poisonous on it's own, a GMO variety known as canola is a much better high-temp oil (but I don't particular like it).
Besides the American players that the studies showed have fewer fakes, you should be able to pick up Australian at good prices with high confidence. Unlike Italy, where "orchards" are trees on steep hillsides mixed into residential areas, where harvesting is by hand, Australians developed a shaker machine to automate harvesting and planted their orchards specifically to work with it. Greatly reduces costs of harvest, plus ensures that the olives aren't lying on the ground before processing.