advertisement


High Quality Supermarket Olive Oil

This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Zaytoun olive oil

Zaytoun means olive in Arabic.
In Portuguese we call it azeitona which comes from the Arabic (al-)zaytoun. and olive oil is called azeite which comes from the Arabic (al-)zeit.
If I'm not mistaken the latin word for the olive fruit is oliva and that is how Spanish and Italians call it. Interestingly the oil is called aceite de oliva in Spanish but olio di oliva in Italian.
The word oil comes from the latin oleum which meant olive oil...
 
My rule of thumb in supermarkets is to look at origin and choose an extra-virgin olive oil that is clearly identified as Greek/Cretan. Tesco has an own-brand Greek oil that is cheap and good, Carrefour sells something similar in France.

My prejudice is to avoid anything that says "made from EU olives" or "mix of EU and non-EU". Avoid Italy, as it seems to sell a lot more oil than it produces olives, especially these days with the blight in their olive trees. Spain had some awful scandals (admittedly many years ago). Greeks are serious, almost religious about their olive oil, and they produce a lot of it, so I believe there is less funny business. What they don't consume domestically or sell under their own brands goes to Italy for blending.
 
I'd never tasted za'atar before

Za'atar is a mixture and just like garam masala, varies quite a bit depending on who makes it. About the only constant ingredients are thyme, sumac and toatsed sesame. Sumac has a very clean, sharp lemony taste and that is probably what you recognised in particular coming through.

Other ingredients are the usual "Meditteranean" herds - marjoram, oregano, cumin
 
My prejudice is to avoid anything that says "made from EU olives" or "mix of EU and non-EU". Avoid Italy, as it seems to sell a lot more oil than it produces olives, especially these days with the blight in their olive trees. Spain had some awful scandals (admittedly many years ago). Greeks are serious, almost religious about their olive oil, and they produce a lot of it, so I believe there is less funny business. What they don't consume domestically or sell under their own brands goes to Italy for blending.

Not sure whether it's an agricultural urban myth but Italian olive growers were reputed to claim EU subsidies on twice the area of Italy!
 
My rule of thumb in supermarkets is to look at origin and choose an extra-virgin olive oil that is clearly identified as Greek/Cretan. Tesco has an own-brand Greek oil that is cheap and good, Carrefour sells something similar in France.

My prejudice is to avoid anything that says "made from EU olives" or "mix of EU and non-EU". Avoid Italy, as it seems to sell a lot more oil than it produces olives, especially these days with the blight in their olive trees. Spain had some awful scandals (admittedly many years ago). Greeks are serious, almost religious about their olive oil, and they produce a lot of it, so I believe there is less funny business. What they don't consume domestically or sell under their own brands goes to Italy for blending.

This is the best EVOO I've ever had.

Terra Creta PDP, the estate version, absolutely fantastic and I also regularly Pedro Ximinez 25 years aged vinegar which is fantastic too especially with the OO.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009FN58U0/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07BKYH2XW/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
I repeat: there is no high quality olive oil in supermarkets. Perhaps an organic food shop would stock good ones.
I order mine from my chosen producer, about € 15 for a 0.75 l bottle.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Not sure whether it's an agricultural urban myth but Italian olive growers were reputed to claim EU subsidies on twice the area of Italy!

Seems to be the same with tined tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes are only grown around Naples or only should be from that area but they manage to supply pizza restaurants/Italian takeaways in the entire world.

Great tomatoes though I buy them from an Italian wholesaler in Coventry, they 'appear' to be genuine Sam Marzano tomatoes but who knows?

https://www.adimaria.co.uk/tomatoes-pesto-sauces/strianese-san-marzano-6x25kg
 
Honestly it really is fantastic buy the one litre tin to try it before buying any more, I'm about to order a three litre tin shortly.

BTW, there's two versions, estate and traditional.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003UFDSPQ/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21


I lived on Crete for a couple of years, between Rethymnon and Chania, so I know what good Cretan olive oil tastes like. I've never found it in the UK. I shall try this oil.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.


advertisement


Back
Top