It is the star of the Mediterranean diet. But with so many types on the shelf, which should you choose? Here you will find the ins and outs of olive oil explained.
There are four main kinds of olive oil, each with its own taste, smell, and health benefits. At the top is extra virgin olive oil. It is pure, tasty, and good for you.
Aceite de Oliva Virgen Extra (Extra Virgin Olive Oil – EVOO)
Extra virgin olive oil is the best of the bunch. It tastes clean, with low acidity, and is made from carefully picked olives. It is full of healthy fats and natural antioxidants.
Types of EVOO
- Premium (early-harvest) EVOO: Made from green olives, needs 7–8 kg per litre. It is fruity, full of flavour, and best eaten raw.
- Organic EVOO: Same quality, but grown without chemicals. It is 100% natural and eco-friendly.
- Conventional EVOO: Made from fully ripe olives, 4–5 kg per litre. It is tasty, healthy, and higher yield.
Aceite de Oliva Virgen (Virgin Olive Oil – VOO)
Virgin olive oil is also natural but can have tiny flavour imperfections. Still healthy, it’s good for cooking, though expert tasters may notice the difference.
Aceite de Oliva (Refinado + Virgen) (Olive Oil – Refined + Virgin)
This is a lower-quality oil. Made by refining very bitter oils and blending with a bit of virgin olive oil, it can be labelled “mild” or “intense,” depending on how much EVOO is in the mix.
Aceite de Orujo de Oliva (Olive Pomace Oil)
Made from the leftover bits of the olives, skin, pulp, and pits. Not as good as virgin oils but still better than many vegetable oils. It is often blended with virgin oil to improve flavour.
Lampante oil is the lowest grade. Not fit to eat until refined. It used to be used for lamps and has high acidity.
Which Olive Oil is Best?
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) wins every time. Made only from the best olives and using mechanical processes, it tastes great, smells great, and is full of health benefits.
The recommend daily amount for consumption is about 40 ml (3–4 tablespoons) raw, or at least 20 g for the healthy compounds.
Convert your olives to oil
As the lucky owner of a few olive trees, every year I collect the olives and take them down to my local bodega. A few months later, I’m the proud owner of my very own olive oil!
To do this, you need to register at your local co-operativa or bodega (each town has different rules). And don’t forget, if you do swap your olives for oil or money, you need to let the tax man know when you do your yearly La Renta.
Spain’s olive oil quality seals
Spain isn’t just the world’s biggest producer of olive oil, it also leads the way in quality. To make sure standards stay high, many bottles carry special quality seals: PDO or PGI.
- PDO (Protected Designation of Origin): This means every stage—growing the olives, extracting the oil, and packaging—happens in the same region.
- PGI (Protected Geographical Indication): Here, only part of the process (growing and production) must take place in the region. Packaging can happen elsewhere.
Right now, Spain has 32 PDOs and 2 PGIs for extra virgin olive oil, spread across the country. So when you buy a bottle with one of these labels, you know exactly where it comes from and that it meets strict quality checks.
