THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VIRGIN AND EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Vegetable oils are beneficial for health, they are essential to maintain the balance of lipids, circulating lipoproteins in the blood and cholesterol. They play a vital role in our body and provide vitamins A, D, E and K. Olive oil is a base of vegetable fat extracted from olives. It is one of the foundations of Mediterranean cuisine.

There are several kinds of olive oil, including "virgin" olive oil and "extra virgin" olive oil. Do you know the difference between these terms?

"VIRGIN" OLIVE OIL

First of all, you should know that a virgin olive oil is an olive oil that has not been diluted or cut in other oils, it is a pure olive juice. The term "virgin" also means that the oil has been cold pressed during the manufacturing phase in order to retain all of its properties. The temperatures must be very moderate and a light heating makes it possible to increase the quantities of oil extracted. The word "virgin" is therefore a guarantee of quality.

"Virgin" olive oil is an oil with a free acidity of less than 2%.

"EXTRA VIRGIN" OLIVE OIL

"Extra virgin" olive oil, on the other hand, is the highest quality olive oil. It must come from its first cold pressing. It must meet a list of chemical criteria in order to correspond to optimum quality. Its free acidity must be less than 0.8% compared to 2% for "virgin" olive oil.

As its nutritional properties remain intact, it is, without a doubt, the best oil for health. It does not present any defect in terms of taste.

In addition to the percentage of acidity, the second differentiating criterion is the taste of "extra virgin" olive oil, which is more pronounced than that of "virgin" olive oil. This criterion is distinguished by the tasting during which the flavors and aromas are analyzed by detecting any defects.

If a minimal sensory defect appears in an "extra virgin" olive oil, then it is removed in the "extra" category and becomes just "virgin".

At Sur le Sentier des Bergers, the bread leaves, chisels and breadsticks are made from "extra virgin" olive oil. Sardines are also in "extra virgin" olive oil. Finally, the brand offers you "extra virgin" olive oil with white truffles that will give a festive feel to any meal. The combination of extra virgin olive oil and white truffle will give your recipes a unique flavor.

Associated products

Available

"Ciselés" Aperitif crackers

Olive oil Ciselés

Original and tasty crispbread with extra virgin olive oil.

€5.90

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