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Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil
The sacred history and profane present of a substance long seen as the essence of health and civilization.
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 ritual. Today's researchers are continuing to confirm the remarkable, life-giving properties of true extra-virgin, and "extra-virgin Italian" has become the highest standard of quality.
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 ritual. Today's researchers are continuing to confirm the remarkable, life-giving properties of true extra-virgin, and "extra-virgin Italian" has become the highest standard of quality.
But what if this symbol of purity has become deeply corrupt? Starting with an explosive article in The New Yorker, Tom Mueller has become the world's expert on olive oil and olive oil fraud-a story of globalization, deception, and crime in the food industry from ancient times to the present, and a powerful indictment of today's lax protections against fake and even toxic food products in the United States. A rich and deliciously readable narrative, Extra Virginity is also an inspiring account of the artisanal producers, chemical analysts, chefs, and food activists who are defending the extraordinary oils that truly deserve the name "extra-virgin."
238 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
413 people are currently reading
6603 people want to read
About the author
Tom Mueller
40 books39 followersTom Mueller writes for The New Yorker and other publications. He lives in a medieval stone farmhouse surrounded by olive groves in the Ligurian countryside outside of Genoa, Italy.
see also
http://www.truthinoliveoil.com/
see also
http://www.truthinoliveoil.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 636 reviews
January 1, 2012
It can be disheartening to read about the extraordinary benefits of pure, fresh olive oil, only to be told you're not likely to get it unless you grow and process your own olives. True extra virginity is mighty scarce. That pretty bottle of oil on your shelf for which you paid a premium price has probably been defiled more than once before being dressed up and sold as a virgin.
Let the buyer beware. Neither the sellers nor the regulatory agencies are looking out for your interests. There are a few honest producers, but they are being driven out of the market by the charlatans who can sell their trashy oil at lower prices.
This book is quite thorough for its length. It's primarily devoted to the worldwide history of olive oil adulteration and the corruption, ignorance, and apathy that allow it to continue. You also get to learn about various methods of olive oil production, the qualities and flavors it should have, and some fascinating historical uses of the oil.
A lot of people think a good olive oil should be mild in flavor and smell. If yours doesn't have distinct bitter, peppery, and fruity qualities, both you and your oil have been had. That bite and burn as it goes down your throat is what gives it the health-promoting qualities you're paying for. If it's bland and odorless, it has been refined, blended with seed oils, deodorized to fake you out, and very possibly even colorized to make it look greener and more authentic.
Some of the worst adulteration of olive oil happens right here in the U.S., where there is almost no regulatory oversight. The only way things will change is through consumer awareness and demand for a better product. If you care about extra-virgin olive oil, stop fooling yourself and wasting your money on falsely labeled, potentially harmful oils. This book is long overdue.
**Addendum: If you're an olive oil fan and this all sounds too discouraging, don't despair. All is not lost. The author has a website where you can find information about how to choose high quality olive oils, and where you can find reputable sources from which to purchase them.
www.extravirginity.com
Let the buyer beware. Neither the sellers nor the regulatory agencies are looking out for your interests. There are a few honest producers, but they are being driven out of the market by the charlatans who can sell their trashy oil at lower prices.
This book is quite thorough for its length. It's primarily devoted to the worldwide history of olive oil adulteration and the corruption, ignorance, and apathy that allow it to continue. You also get to learn about various methods of olive oil production, the qualities and flavors it should have, and some fascinating historical uses of the oil.
A lot of people think a good olive oil should be mild in flavor and smell. If yours doesn't have distinct bitter, peppery, and fruity qualities, both you and your oil have been had. That bite and burn as it goes down your throat is what gives it the health-promoting qualities you're paying for. If it's bland and odorless, it has been refined, blended with seed oils, deodorized to fake you out, and very possibly even colorized to make it look greener and more authentic.
Some of the worst adulteration of olive oil happens right here in the U.S., where there is almost no regulatory oversight. The only way things will change is through consumer awareness and demand for a better product. If you care about extra-virgin olive oil, stop fooling yourself and wasting your money on falsely labeled, potentially harmful oils. This book is long overdue.
**Addendum: If you're an olive oil fan and this all sounds too discouraging, don't despair. All is not lost. The author has a website where you can find information about how to choose high quality olive oils, and where you can find reputable sources from which to purchase them.
www.extravirginity.com
June 3, 2017
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 involve baking.
Last year, my cooking world was forever changed. My friend discovered this boutique of sorts that specializes in "ultra premium extra virgin olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars". The store has a tasting room that I took full advantage of. The flavor was so earthy and the oils burned the back of my throat. What the hell? I wanted to stock up on this amazing product that had me wanting to slow sip it with a straw but surprisingly it doesn't have the long shelf life of what was sitting on my home counter. And so I was first educated about the mislabeling of adulterated olive oils.
Normally, in America, fraud is a criminal offense with harsh consequences...however, not this type of fraud. In other countries, tampering with the purity of olive oil is an imprisonable offense. But in America, if it's not a public health concern, apparently it doesn't matter so companies are taking full advantage of the American consumer's ignorance. Thanks to this book along with various journal articles, word of mouth, and in-store education like the one I was exposed to, this concerning issue is gaining attention, although slowly, and consumers are prompted to do their own research about brand names to trust and those to ignore. For those who don't want to go through the trial and error of finding an oil they feel good about, the author Tom Mueller offers some of his supermarket picks HERE.
Some consumers may wonder why it matters. Oil is oil right? If I'm not a "foodie" and I don't really care then... Well, it matters for health purposes. In Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, Mr. Mueller writes, "Real extra virgin olive oil contains powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatories which help to prevent degenerative conditions. Fake extra virgin has next to none of them. Great oil is the essence of the Mediterranean diet. Bad oil isn't just a deception, it's a crime against public health." Additionally, if what you are consuming is something different than what's on the ingredients label, you need to know that. Food coloring, additives, blended oils...what if a person has a nut or sunflower seed allergy and that is the primary oil they are about to put in their mouth? It's food for thought.
In addition to the crime/fraud part of the olive oil industry, Mr. Mueller provides detailed education about the farming and production of olive oils, the health benefits, and olive oil's role in history, all the way back to biblical times. While the history element was indeed interesting, it was a bit overkill in my opinion. Like I said, I use extra virgin olive oil daily and deeply appreciate the much-needed attention drawn to the matter, but it became quite a chore to listen to over 10 hours on the subject (via audiobook). However, if this topic has sparked your interest in any way, I would recommend reading Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, or at least considering a google search on the subject for reputable sources to self-educate. Check it out!
My favorite quote:
“Once someone tries a real extra virgin -- an adult or a child, anybody with taste buds -- they'll never go back to the fake kind. It's distinctive, complex, the freshest thing you've ever eaten. It makes you realize how rotten the other stuff is, literally rotten."
Last year, my cooking world was forever changed. My friend discovered this boutique of sorts that specializes in "ultra premium extra virgin olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars". The store has a tasting room that I took full advantage of. The flavor was so earthy and the oils burned the back of my throat. What the hell? I wanted to stock up on this amazing product that had me wanting to slow sip it with a straw but surprisingly it doesn't have the long shelf life of what was sitting on my home counter. And so I was first educated about the mislabeling of adulterated olive oils.
Normally, in America, fraud is a criminal offense with harsh consequences...however, not this type of fraud. In other countries, tampering with the purity of olive oil is an imprisonable offense. But in America, if it's not a public health concern, apparently it doesn't matter so companies are taking full advantage of the American consumer's ignorance. Thanks to this book along with various journal articles, word of mouth, and in-store education like the one I was exposed to, this concerning issue is gaining attention, although slowly, and consumers are prompted to do their own research about brand names to trust and those to ignore. For those who don't want to go through the trial and error of finding an oil they feel good about, the author Tom Mueller offers some of his supermarket picks HERE.
Some consumers may wonder why it matters. Oil is oil right? If I'm not a "foodie" and I don't really care then... Well, it matters for health purposes. In Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, Mr. Mueller writes, "Real extra virgin olive oil contains powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatories which help to prevent degenerative conditions. Fake extra virgin has next to none of them. Great oil is the essence of the Mediterranean diet. Bad oil isn't just a deception, it's a crime against public health." Additionally, if what you are consuming is something different than what's on the ingredients label, you need to know that. Food coloring, additives, blended oils...what if a person has a nut or sunflower seed allergy and that is the primary oil they are about to put in their mouth? It's food for thought.
In addition to the crime/fraud part of the olive oil industry, Mr. Mueller provides detailed education about the farming and production of olive oils, the health benefits, and olive oil's role in history, all the way back to biblical times. While the history element was indeed interesting, it was a bit overkill in my opinion. Like I said, I use extra virgin olive oil daily and deeply appreciate the much-needed attention drawn to the matter, but it became quite a chore to listen to over 10 hours on the subject (via audiobook). However, if this topic has sparked your interest in any way, I would recommend reading Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, or at least considering a google search on the subject for reputable sources to self-educate. Check it out!
My favorite quote:
“Once someone tries a real extra virgin -- an adult or a child, anybody with taste buds -- they'll never go back to the fake kind. It's distinctive, complex, the freshest thing you've ever eaten. It makes you realize how rotten the other stuff is, literally rotten."
June 29, 2023
Everyone around speaks about the Mediterian diet benefits. But what is so different about it? Of course, the consumption of olive oil. I was surprised to learn from the book how much olive oil is consumed by Italians and Greeks. It is nearly 1 litre of oil per week.
But if you think to go now to the supermarket and buy urgently a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, be aware that on the shelves most of the olive oils are counterfeited mixes of seeds oils and chemical products for flavour and colour.
True extra virgin olive oil is an expensive product that has a bitter taste and when taken pure makes you cough. It doesn't need to be filtrated or raffinate.
If you are interested in your health improvement and are going to use olive oil for this, I recommend you to read this book and find out about the history and geography of olive oil production and what is the difference between these oils.
But if you think to go now to the supermarket and buy urgently a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, be aware that on the shelves most of the olive oils are counterfeited mixes of seeds oils and chemical products for flavour and colour.
True extra virgin olive oil is an expensive product that has a bitter taste and when taken pure makes you cough. It doesn't need to be filtrated or raffinate.
If you are interested in your health improvement and are going to use olive oil for this, I recommend you to read this book and find out about the history and geography of olive oil production and what is the difference between these oils.
July 11, 2014
Updating 7/11 to add link to ongoing controversy of author's evaluation methods and relationship with Veronica Foods. Draw your own conclusions.
Last week I crossed paths with two food-centric non-fiction books. One, a memoir, written by a famous chef, was set in my favorite place on the planet: Paris. I thought for certain I'd love it. I love memoir. I love Paris. I adore cheffy things. Alas, I kicked it to the curb after the first twenty-five pages.
The other, this book here, this rambling, occasionally pedantic, gushing and ripe-with-hyperbole look at the life and times of olive oil, I slurped up with gusto.
I read in a review of Extra Virginity (and I'll be damned if I can remember where, so apologies for lack of attribution and that I must paraphrase), "...Extra Virginity is proof that subpar non-fiction is always better than subpar fiction." I'd add in subpar memoir. Not even Paris can save lousy writing and arrogant affect. So, yeah, Tom Mueller is no Ruth Reichl or MFK Fisher, but he tells a tale of olive oil with such passion and integrity, it's impossible not to be caught up in the story.
There are a couple of different things going on in Extra Virginity. First and foremost is the investigation into the corrupt world of olive oil production and distribution. Mueller's book was born out of a story that he wrote for The New York Times. The unfortunate thing about a static book is that the book ends, but the story does not. Mueller does not go far enough into the investigation. The corruption he reveals surely penetrates the highest levels of Italian government and possibly EU regulatory entities. There is a greater story, a richer and more rotten one. But Mueller strikes me as a really sweet guy who wants everyone to get along and support best practices by buying only quality olive oil. A worthy goal.
I think he also naïvely and wrongly suggests that olive oil is somehow a world apart from other specialty food items in terms of corruption and scandal. Wine- from grape cultivation to production and distribution - is of particular interest to this oenophile. Unrest assured, the wine world is rife with shady business. Please don't tell me that Trader Joe's is putting $20 bottles of Amarone on its shelves out of the goodness of its heart. Just last week I read of an investigation into Soave producers believed to be adding Riesling to their wines to "spice it up." Sounds harmless, but as Mueller shows, cheating is cheating. Honest producers and consumers pay the price when the integrity of a beautiful food chain is broken.
The other thing at play in Extra Virginity is an unabashed love affair with this storied, sublime food. It is a narrative designed to seduce those enchanted by all things culinary (you know, that icky word, "foodies"). Mueller goes straight for the foodie jugular by painting scenes of the Mediterranean countryside, with Roman ruins and medieval farmhouses set in golden fields, presided over by sun-baked farmers and their round-hipped wives, or by chic, multilingual children who return to the family farm after years in high finance or industrial agronomy to embrace the simple life. Although, it's not so simple. Cultivating olive trees and producing quality oil is hella hard. Expensive. Many farmers tend orchards that they will not live long enough to see into production, hoping to leave a legacy to their families.
Mueller also offers an extensive history of olive cultivation and production and makes a hearty case for olive oil as the world's most perfect food. I found myself not only craving olive oil at many points, but wrinkling my nose with distaste at the clogging, cloying properties of butter and cheese. Can you just imagine? If you've read Extra Virginity, yes, you probably can.
There are some editing problems in Extra Virginity that rankled. The use of the word varietal with grapes, instead of cultivar or variety , mystified me. Varietal is an adjective; variety is a noun. For some inexplicable reason, variety was used correctly when discussing olives, but incorrectly with grapes.
Adjectives and adverbs are flung hither and yon and repeated to eye-rolling effect. The structure of the book seems haphazard, jumping around in theme and style. And, as I noted earlier, much of scandal is left unexplored.
But most importantly, this consumer's eyes were opened and her buying habits were changed. I've cooked with EVOO forever. My husband worked at an olive orchard and oil production facility in New Zealand and brought home buckets of unfiltered liquid gold (okay, liquid green). I've tasted the freshest, most delicious oils I never knew were possible. I understood that olive oil is as nuanced as wine. But really, I had no idea how complex the issues were and how vulnerable the industry is. Now I know what to look for, which questions to ask, and that my choices have consequences, both for my own health and for the health and sustainability of a noble fruit and its by-products. And like wine, I understand there is a great price to be paid when buying cheap olive oil.
ETA/Update: I've discovered that the fancy olive oil shop which opened up in my little village in December is supplied exclusively by Veronica Foods, the Berkeley-based oil purveyor founded by Veronica and Tom Bradley, champions of quality oil. Tom Mueller is a big fan. I can enjoy olive oils from around the world and feel great about my purchases!
Tom Mueller maintains an excellent website Truth in Olive Oil that is a must if you are interested in learning more about the options for purchasing quality oils and Mueller's commitment to changing the industry. Bravo.
‘Extra Virginity’ Author’s Latest Investigation Raises Questions
Last week I crossed paths with two food-centric non-fiction books. One, a memoir, written by a famous chef, was set in my favorite place on the planet: Paris. I thought for certain I'd love it. I love memoir. I love Paris. I adore cheffy things. Alas, I kicked it to the curb after the first twenty-five pages.
The other, this book here, this rambling, occasionally pedantic, gushing and ripe-with-hyperbole look at the life and times of olive oil, I slurped up with gusto.
I read in a review of Extra Virginity (and I'll be damned if I can remember where, so apologies for lack of attribution and that I must paraphrase), "...Extra Virginity is proof that subpar non-fiction is always better than subpar fiction." I'd add in subpar memoir. Not even Paris can save lousy writing and arrogant affect. So, yeah, Tom Mueller is no Ruth Reichl or MFK Fisher, but he tells a tale of olive oil with such passion and integrity, it's impossible not to be caught up in the story.
There are a couple of different things going on in Extra Virginity. First and foremost is the investigation into the corrupt world of olive oil production and distribution. Mueller's book was born out of a story that he wrote for The New York Times. The unfortunate thing about a static book is that the book ends, but the story does not. Mueller does not go far enough into the investigation. The corruption he reveals surely penetrates the highest levels of Italian government and possibly EU regulatory entities. There is a greater story, a richer and more rotten one. But Mueller strikes me as a really sweet guy who wants everyone to get along and support best practices by buying only quality olive oil. A worthy goal.
I think he also naïvely and wrongly suggests that olive oil is somehow a world apart from other specialty food items in terms of corruption and scandal. Wine- from grape cultivation to production and distribution - is of particular interest to this oenophile. Unrest assured, the wine world is rife with shady business. Please don't tell me that Trader Joe's is putting $20 bottles of Amarone on its shelves out of the goodness of its heart. Just last week I read of an investigation into Soave producers believed to be adding Riesling to their wines to "spice it up." Sounds harmless, but as Mueller shows, cheating is cheating. Honest producers and consumers pay the price when the integrity of a beautiful food chain is broken.
The other thing at play in Extra Virginity is an unabashed love affair with this storied, sublime food. It is a narrative designed to seduce those enchanted by all things culinary (you know, that icky word, "foodies"). Mueller goes straight for the foodie jugular by painting scenes of the Mediterranean countryside, with Roman ruins and medieval farmhouses set in golden fields, presided over by sun-baked farmers and their round-hipped wives, or by chic, multilingual children who return to the family farm after years in high finance or industrial agronomy to embrace the simple life. Although, it's not so simple. Cultivating olive trees and producing quality oil is hella hard. Expensive. Many farmers tend orchards that they will not live long enough to see into production, hoping to leave a legacy to their families.
Mueller also offers an extensive history of olive cultivation and production and makes a hearty case for olive oil as the world's most perfect food. I found myself not only craving olive oil at many points, but wrinkling my nose with distaste at the clogging, cloying properties of butter and cheese. Can you just imagine? If you've read Extra Virginity, yes, you probably can.
There are some editing problems in Extra Virginity that rankled. The use of the word varietal with grapes, instead of cultivar or variety , mystified me. Varietal is an adjective; variety is a noun. For some inexplicable reason, variety was used correctly when discussing olives, but incorrectly with grapes.
Adjectives and adverbs are flung hither and yon and repeated to eye-rolling effect. The structure of the book seems haphazard, jumping around in theme and style. And, as I noted earlier, much of scandal is left unexplored.
But most importantly, this consumer's eyes were opened and her buying habits were changed. I've cooked with EVOO forever. My husband worked at an olive orchard and oil production facility in New Zealand and brought home buckets of unfiltered liquid gold (okay, liquid green). I've tasted the freshest, most delicious oils I never knew were possible. I understood that olive oil is as nuanced as wine. But really, I had no idea how complex the issues were and how vulnerable the industry is. Now I know what to look for, which questions to ask, and that my choices have consequences, both for my own health and for the health and sustainability of a noble fruit and its by-products. And like wine, I understand there is a great price to be paid when buying cheap olive oil.
ETA/Update: I've discovered that the fancy olive oil shop which opened up in my little village in December is supplied exclusively by Veronica Foods, the Berkeley-based oil purveyor founded by Veronica and Tom Bradley, champions of quality oil. Tom Mueller is a big fan. I can enjoy olive oils from around the world and feel great about my purchases!
Tom Mueller maintains an excellent website Truth in Olive Oil that is a must if you are interested in learning more about the options for purchasing quality oils and Mueller's commitment to changing the industry. Bravo.
‘Extra Virginity’ Author’s Latest Investigation Raises Questions
August 1, 2012
This is the kind of book I usually adore: food, science, history, politics, people. I also adore olive oil. Mueller does a pretty good job of giving the reader (or listener, in my case) a good overview of the world of olive oil.
Here are the things I learned from this book. One, there are many, many different kinds of olive oil, almost as many olive cultivars as there are cultivars of wine grapes. Like wine, olive oil has been around since antiquity, and has been a stable source of trade in the Mediterranean for Millennia. The book talks about amphorae, and why they have their distinctive shape, which I found fascinating (sits better on the sides of ships).
It also spends a lot of time dwelling on the slipperiness of oil. Olive oil has historically been one of the most often-adulterated foodstuffs. Oil barons have been diluting their precious green gold with cheaper oils since the first amphora was crafted out of clay. It hasn't ever stopped, apparently. Although the grade known as "extra virgin" is stringently delineated by European authorities, it is almost never enforced. In addition, olive oil cartels use their political power to shut down any grower who seeks more stringent regulations.
Mueller talks about the chemical composition of olive oil, and some of its unique antioxidant properties. He talks about how it affects the taste of food, how it stores and spoils, and how different varieties and growing conditions affect the taste of the oil. Like bitter beer, complex wine, or scotch whisky, real olive oil is an acquired taste, but its fans fall passionately in love with its complexity and nuances. It's also very good for you. If you have a diet rich in olive oil, you are likely to benefit from huge health benefits--most notably cardiovascular.
So here's the book in a nutshell: real olive oil is an ancient treasure, still made all over the world by fine growers and millers. It's insanely nutritious, has many health benefits, and while it's bitterness and pungency is likely to dissuade the uninitiated, once you catch the oil-fever, you will likely love it forever. However, you are not likely to ever taste real olive oil, because almost everything in the store is adulterated oil, mixed with seed oil or cheaper olive-pumice oil. No one tests for quality, and if they do, they don't impose penalties on oil-adulterators because cheap, badly tasting canola oil is not a health risk.
I recommend this book for foodies and fans of Mediterranean food. Beware, however. If you are like me, this book will make you CRAVE olive oil. I eventually couldn't stand it anymore and had to go out and buy a bottle from Whole Foods. Good thing it wasn't a book about heroine or cocaine.
Here are the things I learned from this book. One, there are many, many different kinds of olive oil, almost as many olive cultivars as there are cultivars of wine grapes. Like wine, olive oil has been around since antiquity, and has been a stable source of trade in the Mediterranean for Millennia. The book talks about amphorae, and why they have their distinctive shape, which I found fascinating (sits better on the sides of ships).
It also spends a lot of time dwelling on the slipperiness of oil. Olive oil has historically been one of the most often-adulterated foodstuffs. Oil barons have been diluting their precious green gold with cheaper oils since the first amphora was crafted out of clay. It hasn't ever stopped, apparently. Although the grade known as "extra virgin" is stringently delineated by European authorities, it is almost never enforced. In addition, olive oil cartels use their political power to shut down any grower who seeks more stringent regulations.
Mueller talks about the chemical composition of olive oil, and some of its unique antioxidant properties. He talks about how it affects the taste of food, how it stores and spoils, and how different varieties and growing conditions affect the taste of the oil. Like bitter beer, complex wine, or scotch whisky, real olive oil is an acquired taste, but its fans fall passionately in love with its complexity and nuances. It's also very good for you. If you have a diet rich in olive oil, you are likely to benefit from huge health benefits--most notably cardiovascular.
So here's the book in a nutshell: real olive oil is an ancient treasure, still made all over the world by fine growers and millers. It's insanely nutritious, has many health benefits, and while it's bitterness and pungency is likely to dissuade the uninitiated, once you catch the oil-fever, you will likely love it forever. However, you are not likely to ever taste real olive oil, because almost everything in the store is adulterated oil, mixed with seed oil or cheaper olive-pumice oil. No one tests for quality, and if they do, they don't impose penalties on oil-adulterators because cheap, badly tasting canola oil is not a health risk.
I recommend this book for foodies and fans of Mediterranean food. Beware, however. If you are like me, this book will make you CRAVE olive oil. I eventually couldn't stand it anymore and had to go out and buy a bottle from Whole Foods. Good thing it wasn't a book about heroine or cocaine.
May 20, 2023
My daughter saw me reading this and said, “boring” and for the most part she was right, but I learned a lot about avoiding garbage olive oil and where to find the real stuff.
Read
April 29, 2013This book contains tales of olive oil bandits – actual people who hijack trucks of pure olive oil so that they can take it and sell it for themselves.
This takes place in the present day.
How can you not want to read about that?
This takes place in the present day.
How can you not want to read about that?
Read
March 1, 2025DNF. Not my cup of oil.
August 6, 2017
As someone with the most rudimentary knowledge of olive oil and its history(or any kind of oil history for that matter) and the naive long-cherished assumption that an Extra Virgin label and an Italian origin were markers of the highest quality and justified the high prices, this book was pretty hard to digest for me. But atleast now I know how almighty hard it is to find real Extra Virginity and where to put my money on, if I ever put it on EVOO again.
Featuring excerpts from the case files of shady Oil Moguls, robber barons and the international oil mafia(Vito Corleone would be proud), and solidly researched data that exposes the deplorable standards of regulation surrounding olive oil production, bottling, labeling and distribution, this book is one HECK of an exposé. But it is much much more than just an exposé. The author's treatment of the cultural and culinary history of olive oil - featuring Odysseus, Mary Magdalene, Prophet Mohammed, a whole host of Egyptian Pharaohs,mesopotamian oil mills, sorcery, Roman oil distribution schemes and a lot more - is jaw-dropping good. The book is also loaded with enough science and latest research that one would anticipate in a book dealing with olive oil. There is a great deal of information about the cultivars throughout the world - Mediterranean, US and Australia- and their relative merits. A year after this book was written, India joined the olive oil race with several groves planted successfully in arid Rajasthan, and this is heartening provided there is proper regulation.
The book is peppered with numerous interviews with traditional artisan Olive oil growers and millers and oil sommeliers around the world, which make for a hard read sometimes but totally worth it to understand the nuances of olive harvesting and the sheer impossibility of the existence of so many low cost Extra virgin brands that adorn supermarket shelves. The book also sports some cool pics of olive groves, ancient mill reconstructions and other relics.
A hard read but completely worth it, since it saturates one with more information than one would ever hope for, obviating the need for any further reading on the topic.
Featuring excerpts from the case files of shady Oil Moguls, robber barons and the international oil mafia(Vito Corleone would be proud), and solidly researched data that exposes the deplorable standards of regulation surrounding olive oil production, bottling, labeling and distribution, this book is one HECK of an exposé. But it is much much more than just an exposé. The author's treatment of the cultural and culinary history of olive oil - featuring Odysseus, Mary Magdalene, Prophet Mohammed, a whole host of Egyptian Pharaohs,mesopotamian oil mills, sorcery, Roman oil distribution schemes and a lot more - is jaw-dropping good. The book is also loaded with enough science and latest research that one would anticipate in a book dealing with olive oil. There is a great deal of information about the cultivars throughout the world - Mediterranean, US and Australia- and their relative merits. A year after this book was written, India joined the olive oil race with several groves planted successfully in arid Rajasthan, and this is heartening provided there is proper regulation.
The book is peppered with numerous interviews with traditional artisan Olive oil growers and millers and oil sommeliers around the world, which make for a hard read sometimes but totally worth it to understand the nuances of olive harvesting and the sheer impossibility of the existence of so many low cost Extra virgin brands that adorn supermarket shelves. The book also sports some cool pics of olive groves, ancient mill reconstructions and other relics.
A hard read but completely worth it, since it saturates one with more information than one would ever hope for, obviating the need for any further reading on the topic.
May 4, 2024
My very first food history!! Highly considering moving to the Mediterranean & starting my own olive tree farm 🫒
Pros: Very well-written. Especially loved Mueller’s commentary on the differences between olive oil & wine. “Grapes contain not wine but grape juice, which must be transformed by the vitner’s art. Oil is already there in the olive, if we can only coax it free. Wine in the final analysis is man-made, while oil is made by nature, through the medium of the strange tree—mysterious, because it comes from something greater than ourselves. Wine in a meal is the soloist, set apart in its gleaming glass, while oil permeates the food, losing itself but subtly changing everything. Wine’s effects on us are vivid and swift, while oil works on the body in hidden ways, slow and lingering in the cells and in the mind, like myths. Wine is merry Dionysus; oil is Athena, solem, wise, and unknowable” (206). Also, I loved how Mueller starts every chapter with an old poem/adage/quote about olive oil. It really brought home just how important olive oil is on a personal & societal level.
Cons: Mueller discusses olive oil fraud & olive oil’s chemical make-up just a bit too much for my liking. I understood it the first time he mentioned it, I don’t think he needs to drag it on. Also, I’m not a fan of how he describes the people he meets. I feel like his descriptions of their appearance & personality are nitpicky/judgemental, & a description of that degree just doesn’t seem all that necessary to me.
Pros: Very well-written. Especially loved Mueller’s commentary on the differences between olive oil & wine. “Grapes contain not wine but grape juice, which must be transformed by the vitner’s art. Oil is already there in the olive, if we can only coax it free. Wine in the final analysis is man-made, while oil is made by nature, through the medium of the strange tree—mysterious, because it comes from something greater than ourselves. Wine in a meal is the soloist, set apart in its gleaming glass, while oil permeates the food, losing itself but subtly changing everything. Wine’s effects on us are vivid and swift, while oil works on the body in hidden ways, slow and lingering in the cells and in the mind, like myths. Wine is merry Dionysus; oil is Athena, solem, wise, and unknowable” (206). Also, I loved how Mueller starts every chapter with an old poem/adage/quote about olive oil. It really brought home just how important olive oil is on a personal & societal level.
Cons: Mueller discusses olive oil fraud & olive oil’s chemical make-up just a bit too much for my liking. I understood it the first time he mentioned it, I don’t think he needs to drag it on. Also, I’m not a fan of how he describes the people he meets. I feel like his descriptions of their appearance & personality are nitpicky/judgemental, & a description of that degree just doesn’t seem all that necessary to me.
March 14, 2017
The topic of olive oil, especially in North America, is not something often spoken of and I believe the author did a good job in spreading the awareness of the fraud that is currently being committed in the industry.
Simply put, most of the extra virgin olive oil on supermarket shelves isn't extra virgin, some of it isn't even olive oil. But because we grew up with this oil, we can't even recognize what the real stuff is supposed to taste like.
And believe me, there is a difference. I've had the privilege of tasting olive oil in Provence that was produced on the very property we stayed on. What the author says is true, once you have the real deal you can't go back. It reminds me a little bit of maple syrup vs breakfast syrup.
My only real complaint with this book is that it lacks structure, hence my lower rating. Has it been structured better I wouldn't have skimmed the last 60 pages, feeling as if I was reading the same situation in a different location. If this book had been split into sections dealing with the history, oil giants, smaller producers, etc it would have been much more effective in my opinion.
Simply put, most of the extra virgin olive oil on supermarket shelves isn't extra virgin, some of it isn't even olive oil. But because we grew up with this oil, we can't even recognize what the real stuff is supposed to taste like.
And believe me, there is a difference. I've had the privilege of tasting olive oil in Provence that was produced on the very property we stayed on. What the author says is true, once you have the real deal you can't go back. It reminds me a little bit of maple syrup vs breakfast syrup.
My only real complaint with this book is that it lacks structure, hence my lower rating. Has it been structured better I wouldn't have skimmed the last 60 pages, feeling as if I was reading the same situation in a different location. If this book had been split into sections dealing with the history, oil giants, smaller producers, etc it would have been much more effective in my opinion.
September 3, 2015
Tom Mueller's book opens the bottle and pours out the truth about olive oil: the good, the bad, the rancid. In a rar-ranging journey through the olive culture, Mueller introduces artisan growers and producers whose livelihoods are threatened by mass production for a global marketplace; chefs, gourmets, and others who are always searching for the true extra virgin; and the fakers whose fraudulent products flood our supermarket shelves. Beautifully written, every page opens another intriguing view of the world of the olive.
February 10, 2012
I can tell already that this is going to be one of those books that makes me look suspiciously at everything on a supermarket shelf.
In the end, after this fascinating glimpse into the shadowy, often bizarre world of olive oil, I came away with one relief: Zingerman's is still safe.
In the end, after this fascinating glimpse into the shadowy, often bizarre world of olive oil, I came away with one relief: Zingerman's is still safe.
November 14, 2020
This is a very detailed history of olive oil and the business surrounding it. It was great. It made me surprisingly hungry considering it was talking about oil. The amount of fraud that people get away with in the food industry as a whole blows my mind. If you're a foodie, you'll enjoy this book.
December 2, 2024
this book (found on the $1 shelf at Magus in Seattle) was so random and mid that it cursed both me and khushi to not be able to finish any books for like a month
September 10, 2024
If you're the sort of person who picks up a book about olive oil you're probably also the sort of person who is already aware that olive oil has an adulteration problem—especially in the US, where almost no oil is unadulterated (in large part because the FDA hasn't routinely tested olive oil in decades) and much of what is sold as olive oil doesn't actually contain olives at all, but also in the EU, largely because of Italians. If so, there's really nothing in this book that will surprise or interest you.
It's hardly an exposé, anyway—the state of the olive oil industry is a matter of public record and semi-regularly makes it into the mainstream news, and while Mueller repeats a lot of the facts the only thing he can think to do in terms of further research is to interview as many people in the industry as his (excessive!) travel budget allows. Yes, this means it mostly just turns into a lot of he-said, she-said, and yes, because most people who own olive presses aren't Bertolli the cult of smoll business is given a greatly disproportionate voice. Yes, Mueller is a journalist.
(He also went to Israel for this, but because he also talked to a Palestinian in the West Bank it's "balanced".)
It's hardly an exposé, anyway—the state of the olive oil industry is a matter of public record and semi-regularly makes it into the mainstream news, and while Mueller repeats a lot of the facts the only thing he can think to do in terms of further research is to interview as many people in the industry as his (excessive!) travel budget allows. Yes, this means it mostly just turns into a lot of he-said, she-said, and yes, because most people who own olive presses aren't Bertolli the cult of smoll business is given a greatly disproportionate voice. Yes, Mueller is a journalist.
(He also went to Israel for this, but because he also talked to a Palestinian in the West Bank it's "balanced".)
December 2, 2024
i have read only two chapters but i need to review this book to let the world know that i am DNFing, now that i've escaped my dry spell. i didn't read anything for 3 months after i tried to read this
it might even be stealing my goodreads one-star virginity, in fact. How scandalous and sublime
it might even be stealing my goodreads one-star virginity, in fact. How scandalous and sublime
Read
July 19, 2022Call me an olive oil acolyte! Excuse me while I go bathe myself olive oil, drink it by the gallon, and sing its praises. This book has shown me the light! 😆
July 1, 2013
Mueller's writing style and anecdotes are generally entertaining, but there is no rhyme or reason to this book. It is repetitive and disorganized. While there are separate chapters with chapter headings (and quotes about olive oil of course), they didn't seem tied to the narrative of the text. He does provide crucial information on supermarket oils and the reasons why they are usually cut with other oils or taken from the "lamp oil" section of he crop and deodorized: it's amazingly cheaper, and the general consumer is used to an almost tasteless oil. The bit of information that really is important, to me, is that the healthy properties of the oil can be detected if you feel a "pepperiness" at the ack of the throat after swallowing. Not even the California produced olive oil I recently bought has this peppery taste.
The other problem with this book is that he provides no solution for the consumer. I am guessing that he avoids mentioning specific supermarket brands so that he does not get sued. Mueller dos not tell us in a clear manner what to taste for when testing the oil, nor suggestions of brands that might be unadulterated. At this point, the only two solutions to getting a good olive oil is to go to a specialty shop and hope they are telling the truth, or test out the oils yourself for the correct flavor, which is an expensive undertaking. Near the end of the book he does say that there are two English language olive oil specific sites: oliveoilsource.com and oliveoiltimes.com. He also provides a glossary at the end, but makes no note of it anywhere in the narrative, so you forget to look to the back of he text for definitions.
Overall, I enjoyed Mueller's anecdotes, but wish he really went somewhere with them. I read the hardcover version of this book from the library, and would recommend skimming it if you are interested in the subject, but not purchasing the title.
The other problem with this book is that he provides no solution for the consumer. I am guessing that he avoids mentioning specific supermarket brands so that he does not get sued. Mueller dos not tell us in a clear manner what to taste for when testing the oil, nor suggestions of brands that might be unadulterated. At this point, the only two solutions to getting a good olive oil is to go to a specialty shop and hope they are telling the truth, or test out the oils yourself for the correct flavor, which is an expensive undertaking. Near the end of the book he does say that there are two English language olive oil specific sites: oliveoilsource.com and oliveoiltimes.com. He also provides a glossary at the end, but makes no note of it anywhere in the narrative, so you forget to look to the back of he text for definitions.
Overall, I enjoyed Mueller's anecdotes, but wish he really went somewhere with them. I read the hardcover version of this book from the library, and would recommend skimming it if you are interested in the subject, but not purchasing the title.
January 22, 2013
This book started off promising, and I really did enjoy the style of writing that Mueller uses: factual, but not dry. However this book was severely disorganized. It very easily could have broken into section based on the businessmen he talked to, or sections on religion, history, business scandal, science et al. It was very disjointed and as such, felt all over the place. There were court transcripts out of nowhere and Mark Twain quotes that didn't really go anywhere.
Extra Virgin olive oil wasn't even clearly defined until the end of the book. The first half read with some more-than-basic culinary education necessary.
The vocabulary was lacking.
By the end of the novel I felt that I was reading the same story over in a different country: somebody makes olive oil, the government finds out it's not real extra virgin, there's a scandal, nothing happens, and the makers still fondly recall a childhood spent amongst olive tree groves.
Mueller never seemed to present the other side of the argument - simply told stories over and over again of just how corrupt the olive oil industry was. He would occasionally briefly mention or quote the flip side of the argument, but then would quickly spend three pages about what ten different organizations/legal departments/acronyms have done/said to the contrary.
All in all - disappointing.
Extra Virgin olive oil wasn't even clearly defined until the end of the book. The first half read with some more-than-basic culinary education necessary.
The vocabulary was lacking.
By the end of the novel I felt that I was reading the same story over in a different country: somebody makes olive oil, the government finds out it's not real extra virgin, there's a scandal, nothing happens, and the makers still fondly recall a childhood spent amongst olive tree groves.
Mueller never seemed to present the other side of the argument - simply told stories over and over again of just how corrupt the olive oil industry was. He would occasionally briefly mention or quote the flip side of the argument, but then would quickly spend three pages about what ten different organizations/legal departments/acronyms have done/said to the contrary.
All in all - disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2016
Well written and seemingly thorough history of olive oil. It's a relatively short book but it felt a bit padded nonetheless.
For me the history of olive oil dating back several thousand years just wasn't interesting whether it related to Palestine, Rome, Egypt or Crete. The modern stories of olive oil producers were much better if a bit self-serving.
The parts relating to olive oil fraud were generally fine. 60 Minutes recently (as of April 2016) aired an interesting segment on the fraud of extra virgin olive oil which was quite interesting. If the fraud is your main interest I'd suggest skipping this book and watching the 60 Minutes segment instead. However, if your goal is to learn more about olive oil generally then I would recommend this book strongly.
Highlights for me included the author's details of the oil itself, his discussion of societies that favor animal fat (butter) versus societies that favor plant fat (olive oil) and his efforts to help the reader understand what true extra virgin olive oil really is and how to find a reliable source of extra virgin olive oil.
For me the history of olive oil dating back several thousand years just wasn't interesting whether it related to Palestine, Rome, Egypt or Crete. The modern stories of olive oil producers were much better if a bit self-serving.
The parts relating to olive oil fraud were generally fine. 60 Minutes recently (as of April 2016) aired an interesting segment on the fraud of extra virgin olive oil which was quite interesting. If the fraud is your main interest I'd suggest skipping this book and watching the 60 Minutes segment instead. However, if your goal is to learn more about olive oil generally then I would recommend this book strongly.
Highlights for me included the author's details of the oil itself, his discussion of societies that favor animal fat (butter) versus societies that favor plant fat (olive oil) and his efforts to help the reader understand what true extra virgin olive oil really is and how to find a reliable source of extra virgin olive oil.
February 16, 2012
I don't really have much to add to the other reviews here. Read this and you will probably never want to buy olive oil from a supermarket again. It's depressing that human cupidity and greed mean that the words "extra virgin" on the label of a bottle of oil are utterly meaningless in 98% of cases. Worse, the degrading of the term makes it almost impossible for those who truly care about producing real extra virgin oil to earn a living from it. Vicious circle.
I rather wished he hadn't focused so much on Italy (obviously because he lives there). I'd have been interested to learn more about the Spanish olive oil industry ... since that's where I but my olive oil. I don't suppose it's any better than Italy in terms of corruption and adulteration, unfortunately.
Anyway, this is a good read if you are curious about where your food comes from, and what happens to it on its way to you.
I rather wished he hadn't focused so much on Italy (obviously because he lives there). I'd have been interested to learn more about the Spanish olive oil industry ... since that's where I but my olive oil. I don't suppose it's any better than Italy in terms of corruption and adulteration, unfortunately.
Anyway, this is a good read if you are curious about where your food comes from, and what happens to it on its way to you.
July 21, 2020
This book is amazing on so many levels! Firstly, the writing is fantastic. The author tells the story of olive oil that reads like a biography. Secondly, his fact-finding is award-winning journalist style- who knew the corruption ran so deep, and so far? Everyone who loves to eat should read this book, and re-examine their oils. Side note: I eat much more genuine extra-virgin olive oil as a result of what I learned from this book!
September 12, 2011
Fan's of Michael Pollan's work will enjoy this. I will not look at all those bottles of olive oil on the grocery store shelves quite the same.
March 30, 2019
Informative, quite detailed. I was hoping for a list of “buy these, not these” at the end, but alas. Mostly it made me want to pack it all in and buy some land in Greece to grow olives.
September 10, 2023
Appreciated learning about the history of olive oil use (thousands of years), what extra-virgin olive oil actually is (it’s complicated) and about how some terms still used today like “cold-pressed” are outdated and more for marketing. (Hardly anyone presses olives anymore.)
April 3, 2020
3.5
Mueller writes with a contagious passion for olives and oil.
Mueller writes with a contagious passion for olives and oil.
May 4, 2023
Phenomenal book. Literally changed the way my family and I eat, and had improved my cooking. And now I've got all these great olive oils in my kitchen that are actually pure, unadulterated oils that taste completely unlike what I've always known olive oil to be. Who knew olive oil had different varietals? Everyone who loves excellent food/cooking should read this one.
April 16, 2018
I read the first chapter in the gift shop of a winery/oil-maker up in Napa while waiting for friends. Figured it would be worth finishing, and it was. I knew nothing about oil, now I know something. Pretty short read.
tl;dr fraud is endemic in the industry and the Extra Virgin Olive Oil you bought at the supermarket most likely isn't. I'm pretty sure now I've never tasted proper oil.
tl;dr fraud is endemic in the industry and the Extra Virgin Olive Oil you bought at the supermarket most likely isn't. I'm pretty sure now I've never tasted proper oil.
April 14, 2012
I've been exploring the local farmer's market recently, coming home with vegetables I have no idea how to cook. When I look up recipes on the internet, they invariably include olive oil as the first ingredient. Pour in some oil, mince some garlic, saute some onions, and you're in business: This is the lesson I have learned. Alternately, just rub olive oil, salt, and pepper over whatever vegetable you have on hand, roast it in the oven for 45 minutes, and there's your side dish. It's a little spooky. Like a magic potion. How did I not realize that olive oil had such mysterious power before?
Because of these recent revelations I was thrilled to see "Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil" on the shelf. It begins with beautiful, sensuous descriptions of olive oil and its history in the Mediterranean. More than 4,000 years of history can be found in each and every bottle of olive oil. But what might also be found in those bottles is a deception. The story quickly turns to underhanded dealings and adulterated oils. Since the time of the Romans people have been trying to pull a fast one by mixing olive oil with various seed oils, which are cheaper to make. In fact, the author argues that most oil labeled "Extra Virgin" is nothing close. To truly meet that standard it must pass a rigorous battery of taste tests, which it rarely does. You can read in the book of the many small farmers trying to make a profit and stay honest in this cut-throat world.
Even with all of this downbeat news, my mind still wanders to the olive groves of Italy, California, Spain, and Australia. The passion of the people who grow the olives and turn them into oil is contagious. It's not just a condiment, it seems. Olive oil is a lifestyle for these people. If you'd like to find out more about olive oil, from it's origins to the bottles lining your supermarket shelves, check out this book.
It even gives you some tips and sources on buying the best olive oil you can find. (For instance: The color of the oil doesn't matter so much, but the bottle should be of dark glass.)
If your stomach is rumbling for some, check out these books on cooking with olive oil.
Because of these recent revelations I was thrilled to see "Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil" on the shelf. It begins with beautiful, sensuous descriptions of olive oil and its history in the Mediterranean. More than 4,000 years of history can be found in each and every bottle of olive oil. But what might also be found in those bottles is a deception. The story quickly turns to underhanded dealings and adulterated oils. Since the time of the Romans people have been trying to pull a fast one by mixing olive oil with various seed oils, which are cheaper to make. In fact, the author argues that most oil labeled "Extra Virgin" is nothing close. To truly meet that standard it must pass a rigorous battery of taste tests, which it rarely does. You can read in the book of the many small farmers trying to make a profit and stay honest in this cut-throat world.
Even with all of this downbeat news, my mind still wanders to the olive groves of Italy, California, Spain, and Australia. The passion of the people who grow the olives and turn them into oil is contagious. It's not just a condiment, it seems. Olive oil is a lifestyle for these people. If you'd like to find out more about olive oil, from it's origins to the bottles lining your supermarket shelves, check out this book.
It even gives you some tips and sources on buying the best olive oil you can find. (For instance: The color of the oil doesn't matter so much, but the bottle should be of dark glass.)
If your stomach is rumbling for some, check out these books on cooking with olive oil.
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