For millennia, fresh olive oil has been one of life’s necessities–not just as food but also as medicine, a beauty aid, and a vital element of religious rituals. But this symbol of purity has become deeply corrupt. A superbly crafted combination of cultural history and food manifesto, Extra Virginity takes us on a journey through the world of olive oil, opening our eyes to olive oil’s rich past … past as well as to the fierce contemporary struggle between oil fraudsters of the globalized food industry and artisan producers whose oil truly deserves the name “extra virgin.”
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I know a thing or two about olive oil. This book is totally biased for Italian olive oil despite the fact that Italy is the probably the biggest blender of olive oil from all over. Great virgin olive oil doesn’t need to be blended. Blending is to hide defects or even fraud mostly to claim virginity while in fact the bulk was probably done by …
This is one of the VERY BEST books on nutrutional knowledge I have ever read, and I’ve read a bunch! It blows the lid off the crooked olive oli industry and explains why REAL, EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OILis one of the most phenomenal of foods, being an energy enhancer, cancer fighter, flavor enhancer and a great antioxidant. But it must be pure and it …
I didn’t like the way it was written. I got bored and I should not have because the topic is interesting. Not a great way to tell us this info. I give it 3 stars just in case It’s me. I would have given 2 stars.
I found this very interesting and informative, but could have been much better and shorter by omitting what I found to be tedious travelogue/human interest filler.
Excellent explanation of this industry and market. Has an excellent appendix with lots of useful definitions.
Excellent research which every consumer should be aware of.
I have been buying products labeled extra virgin olive oilfor my health to eat along with my organic meats and vegetables–only to find out that my oil is not only not “extra virgin” but that it’s probably not even real olive oil. If you care about the health benefits of olive oil, this is a must read book. I intend to launch a one-woman …
Fascinating story of the historical, agricultural, culinary and social significance of olive oil. Makes you want to search out the very best and have a shot neat.
I’ve been using store bought extra virgin olive oil ever since Food Network introduced Rachael Ray’s cooking show: 30-Minute Meals in 2001. Nearly every one of her savory recipes has EVOO in the ingredients list. I bought whatever extra virgin olive oil was on sale at any given time and this quickly became my go-to oil for everything that didn’t …