EVO oil: why bitterness is a quality

There are terms that, when used with food, can lose their conventional meaning. For example, did you know that the more bitter the oil, the better it is? What happens with evo oil, the precious ally of the Mediterranean diet, is something that never happens with all other foods.

Normally, bitterness is a thing that the body moves away from. It is also the primary sense that persists the longest and is localized at the back of the tongue.

The two important characteristics of oil: bitterness and spiciness

Bitterness is the most important and is always perceived strongly if the olives were harvested when still green or moderately ripe, if they were taken immediately to the mill, and if they were crushed with continuous systems in the absence of oxygen.
Bitterness defines that unsaponifiable fraction contained in the oil, which is related to polyphenols and tannins that represent the true integrity of the product.

These are all those substances that also have antioxidant power and qualify the oil from a nutritional point of view. This bitterness is particularly found in Umbrian oils, in Veneto oils, in Tuscan Leccino oils, in some Cima di Melfi pugliese olive oils, and in Sicily in the DOP Monti Iblei oils.

Those who are not used to quality oils (here you can find a series of quality evo oil) find bitterness to be a negative element in oil… well, know that everything that tastes like nothing is worth nothing in the food world. And all the oils available on the market today at low prices are nothing more than lubricants for salads… completely neutral but at the same time useless for good cooking and staying healthy.