Do you really know what you are putting on your plate?

Do you know the real difference between olive oil and extra virgin olive oil?

Using lemon as an example can help to clarify the difference.

Extra virgin olive oil is like squeezing fresh juice from a lemon, from a top-quality fruit.

Virgin olive oil is the juice from a fresh lemon, but the fruit is of poorer quality.

Olive oil is like using the lemon "juice" that can be bought in plastic bottles.

So, the questions is: what do you cook with?

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL "Superior quality olive oil produced directly from olives using only mechanical means" Extra virgin olive oil, which, in addition to its low acidity, is also controlled for its organoleptic characteristics. It is olive oil produced only by natural and mechanical processes, with impeccable aroma and taste, and with a free acidity of no more than 0.8%.

VIRGIN OLIVE OIL 'Olive oil produced directly from olives using only mechanical means'. Virgin olive oil has an acidity of up to 2% and a slight organoleptic defect (must, rancidity, etc.)

OLIVE OIL - COMBINATION OF REFINED AND VIRGIN OLIVE OIL 'Oil containing exclusively olive oils which have undergone a refining process and oils obtained directly from olives'. Refined oil has undergone chemical treatment in order to remove its negative chemical and organoleptic properties. Refined olive oil is usually blended with virgin olive oils, but neither the percentage nor the category of virgin olive oil added to the blend is recorded. On packaging, such olive oils are often simply called 'olive oils'.

Kyklopas Ages -a short tour to see our ancient olive trees! (video) An interview with Athinorama magazine under a 1000 year old olive tree (photos)