I moved to Italy expecting great food. I had no idea that it would be something as simple and fundamental as olive oil that would forever alter my tastes.
New olive oil is impossibly green:
It is a greenness that you can taste.
New olive oil still has the flavor of the earth that the fruit grew from.
This fall, I was up at my favorite agriturismo in Tuscany. And yes, I know how ridiculous that last sentence sounded, thank you very much. But bare with the unavoidable pretentiousness of putting that into writing, because the farm is amazing and every spare weekend I get, I sneak up there to Pienza. I went there for the first time in November with a friend because we were hoping to pick olives. Unfortunately, it rained the whole time.
After feeding us the newly pressed olive oil in an attempt to cheer us up in the inclimate weather, the owner of the agriturismo had a problem on his hands- we were hooked. Since the weather was too wet for doing any picking, he offered to take us to the mill. To his utter surprise, we said yes. To an Italian, the mill is boring. To me, it was fascinating.
Families drop off their olives in giant crates, labeled with their names, so that they can later pick up the oil that is specifically from their harvest.
First, the olives go rush by at hyper speed to shake free all the twigs and leaves.
The debris-free fruit gets transfered into a completely unromantic looking stainless steel vat.
But what comes out the other end is pure liquid gold- fresh, green oil:
Another spout takes care of all the water-y non-oil yuck. (Sorry if that’s all too technical for you. Just trust me).
The green green green oil is then transfered into the family’s jugs and containers so they can take home their year’s supply of oil.
If you’re dining out in Italy after the olive harvest, ask for “olio nuovo.” Drizzle it over bread (NO- no adding vinegar and dipping the bread), and you have a mini-feast for your pre-dinner enjoyment.
I’m only getting around to publishing this now because I became aware of my ever-dwindling supply of Podere San Gregorio oil. There’s no point in saving it since the oil’s flavor will change and mellow over time, but I hate to say goodbye.
When The highlight of one’s day is Olive oil, I begin to worry about that person’s sanity. Granted, I cannot understand what you’re trying to convey, until I have actually visited Italy. So, for now, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, and assume that this Olive Oil, is a gift from the gods.
Hope the weathers nice 🙂
Ciao!
I first heard about agriturismo in Modena. If and when I go back to Italy, I am trying that one out 🙂 Interesting green olive oil 🙂
It is fascinating to experience the process from harvesting to the bottle. You will never want to buy commercially produced olive oil again!
My daughter has lived in Italy since going to study abroad in 2003. She is married to man who’s family has olive groves..OMG I have never tasted anything so wonderful as fresh green olive oil. I bring home two big cans everytime I visit and they bring us some when they come to visit. I only use it for bread or salad, would be a waste to cook with it.
Thank you for your post on the pizza from Naples, I am so excited to go eat there. I am a vegan and their marinara pizza looks wonderful. I will travel three hours by train to eat that pizza.
I have been vegan for ten months and the only thing I miss is a good pizza, have been spoiled by the real pizza of Italy. In my daughters town they have a pizzeria that sells marinara with fungi that is also to die for.
My sister went to Italy last November and brought back some olio nuovo. I have never tasted anything so fantastic in my life. There are no words to describe it.
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