Dry Goods Notes

Olive Oil Tasting

2009-04-15T19:04:00.001-07:00

What kills me is that the people in this room probably don't leave with more information than I could give them. Admittedly, Vossen knows tons more than I do given his doctoral work, but I guarantee the people who left didn't leave with much doctoral level info.

How much did they all pay for this tasting/presentation, I wonder?

Olive oil is environmentally green

2009-04-15T18:59:00.001-07:00

My mentor, though he wouldn't know that. I stalk him, academically, though, when it comes to his olive oil knowledge.

Dried red peppercorns

2008-06-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Seems worth investigating...

Spice Pages: Pepper (Piper nigrum, Black Peppercorns): "Dried red peppercorns are even harder to find, and are to my knowledge, only produced by one single company in Kerala (Southern India)."

More about dried red peppercorns

Lunch with Barack

2008-06-26T22:18:00.001-07:00

"Five grassroots donors shared a lunch with Barack in Muncie, Indiana and had the chance to discuss their concerns, talk about their experiences with the campaign, and share their own stories with Barack."

Fox News Kills Monsanto Milk Story

2008-06-23T22:04:00.001-07:00

The Real News

2008-06-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

This internet station is really making me excited. It feels honest.

THE REAL NEWS

[link]The Real News journalist committee includes Lewis Lapham, Gore Vidal, Amy Goodman, Naomi Klein, and Howard Zinn

The World According To Monsanto

2008-06-23T21:50:00.001-07:00

The deciding factor for left and right wing political identity

2008-06-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

This paragraph struck me as odd, and I had to read it four or five times before I accepted that someone feels this way, but when I see:

Personally, I'd like to see the United States remain the number one economic power in the Western Hemisphere, but this is not foreordained. If Brazil's Congress is smarter than ours, as it certainly is at the moment, we are at a huge disadvantage. It is said that democracies get the governments they deserve, which implies that Brazilians are smart enough to vote for prosperity, and Americans are not. We'll have more data in November.

I at first think it's parody. I had no idea even that someone would think that "democracies get the governments they deserve" could be used with a straight face when someone holds such right-wing political views. I guess they think they can, but,

"I’m really not interested in having yet another debate on the purpose of government so this will be my last post on the subject and you can have the last word.

[Your] views seem to me as nothing more than typical conservative dogma. "

Are you sure you’re in the right country, have you read the Bill of Rights, what do you think was really most important to some of the most brilliant political minds like Benjamin Franklin, John and Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington? Prosperity or Freedom? They had prosperity, these were rich landholders, all of them. They weren't fighting because one more tax was being taken from them, no matter how you misinterpret your history. From the private writings of these people, they protected our freedoms as well as they could because they knew that people with power try to take away liberties. People with power doesn't just mean power from a political office, but corporate power. People need to be protected, and the Bill of Rights are the only words standing in the way of crushing power being used against the little man. Sometimes one wants to be a little man, producing little economically and taking little economically, or a small fish. But small fish don't want to be eaten by big fish, just because they're small, and laws help make that be the case.

Most liberals and/or Democrats feel that the purpose of our government involves a little more than just providing a Laissez-faire system.

As far as I’m concerned, providing people with the security and opportunity to succeed brings with it a hefty responsibility to give back to the system. I fully support a progressive tax rate, so no, I don’t feel “He is entitled to every single penny he has made”. ...

In regards to money grubbing, I’ve found this to be much more of a problem with conservatives and the rich than people who’re down and out. And although you won’t get much of an argument out of me over your opinion about how stupid Americans are, you raised my nationalistic hackles with your comments.

Moleon Olive Oil

2008-06-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

From Paul Vossen:

‘Koroneiki’ blends. The ‘Koroneiki’ variety
is dominant all over Peloponnisos, Zakinthos,
and Crete. It is sometimes blended with
‘Kalamon’, ‘Konservolia’, and ‘Chalkidiki’
in table fruit-growing areas and with ‘Mastoides’
in oil-growing areas. ‘Koroneiki’ oils
are high in polyphenols, very stable, and very
aromatically fruity with herbaceous and
green banana characteristics. The fruit is very
small and difficult to get off the tree. Much of
the oil from Greece is made from olives with
olive fly damage, or are mishandled in transport
and stored for a while before processing.
When the fruit is clean and processed
quickly, however, some excellent oils are
produced (Vossen, 1999).

Quite honestly, if I find something from Paul Vossen about olive oil, he's my definitive source. If I could be an olive oil scholar groupie, than I would be one for Dr. Vossen at UC Davis.

Here's Paul Vossen on Olive Oil Production In Greece, it is literally going to be everything you need to know about Greek olive oil as of 1999.

Mt. Vikos Glazed and Roasted Figs

2008-06-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

From David Rosengarten:

This fat glass jar is filled with whole fresh figs that have been roasted, creating a wonderful chewy-tender texture. The figs have been glazed with, among other things, grape juice concentrate and apple juice, leading to a not-too-sweet, brown and shiny sauce.

Rich and sweet with aromatic spiciness

A PDF monograph about the fig, more than you could dream of about this inverted flower which becomes a fruit.

I have no idea what variety of fig is used in these, but here's a database of all fig varieties, from arguably the largest database about figs available on the internet.

Morea Sweet Red Wine Vinegar

2008-06-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

Made from Korinthiaki and Moschofilero grapes, barrel aged for six months. Both of these grapes are indigenous to the Peloponnese region. Korinthiaki really just means Corinthian, or from the city of Corinth, and has several much more familiar names: Stafidambelos, Stafida, Lianorogi, Corinthe Noir, Raisin de Corinthe, Corinto Nero, Korinthiaki Stafis, Korinthiaki Stafida, Mavri Stafis, Lianorogi, Corinthe Noir, Raisin de Corinthe, Pesserille, Passerilla (France), Corinto nero, Passerina, Passolina, Passera, Passeretta nera, Passula di Corinto (Italia), Black corinth, Currant grape, Zante Currant (USA, England), Korinthiaki stafida, Korinthiaki, Corinthe Noir, Staphidampelo, Corinthe noir, Stafidampelo, Raisin de Corinthe

Moschofilero [ Mos ko fee' le ro ]: Moschofilero is highly regarded as a producer of premium white table wines and sparkling wines. Most top quality production of Moschofilero is centered in the Mantinia plateau, a soil-rich plain in the center of a mountain range in northern Arkadía on the Peloponnesos. At these elevations (up to 600 meters), sugar and alcohol can be low and acid considerable. Moschofilero grapes have a pink/gray colored skin and therefore produce wines varied in color depending on vinification. Moschofilero can be delicate to a fault and very weather sensitive. At its best, the grape produces wines of quiet character, their best attributes being elegance, crispness and subtle perfumed floral aroma of roses and violets with hints of spices.

Korinthiaki

Zante Grapes are very small grapes. Usually only a maximum of 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) wide, they are about the size of a pea -- or "pearl", as the marketers today are saying (accompanied by the phrase "jewel-like" as well). Their purple skin is so dark it is sometimes seems almost black. They grow in long clusters, and are seedless. The grapes are very sweet and tender, and have very small stems that are edible.

Morea is imported by Hellas International, whose marketing says:

Co-founder Areti Skalkos was born and raised in the village of Vlahioti in the Peloponnese region of Greece - an area renowned for its olives. Each day on her way to school, Areti walked through her father's olive factory, savoring the smells and eating a breakfast of toasted bread drizzled with golden-green olive oil and fresh oregano. After moving to the U.S., Areti found that the exceptional Greek olive oils and olives of her youth were difficult to find. With two other partners, she founded Hellas to bring these wonderful foods into the U.S.
Hellas seeks out family farms and exceptional producers who embrace their high standards and traditions - hand picked olives, careful production methods, and family recipes passed down for generations. This careful attention to quality has resulted in numerous awards and industry acclaim for Hellas products.

Chios Mastiha Bread from Zingerman's Bakehouse

2008-06-12T00:52:00.000-07:00

Zingerman's Deli:

Mastiha — mastic gum from a resin tree — is an ancient, uniquely aromatic Greek spice. Greek folk lore has it that only Chias, mastic trees on the island of Chios in the Aegean, shed these aromatic tears. Frank Carollo, at Zingerman's Bakehouse, was inspired to create a very special loaf of bread for us using Chios Mastiha. Made with barley, whole wheat, clover honey, cardamom and mastiha, this bread has a deep texture and a lovely, intriguing aroma. Available in June only. Taste some today.

Wikipedia on Mastic

Greek Travel guide on Mastiha

http://www.greekproducts.com/mastic/

Kalamata Olives from Messinia Estate

2008-06-12T00:24:00.000-07:00

Greece by David Willett, p 183: "Locals insist, though, that the finest olives are grown on Messinian soil, particularly in the Parnisos Valley, north of Messini. The regions reliable winter rains and hot summers make for perfect olive-growing conditions."

More than you want to know, unless you're a horticulturist.

The Prefecture of Messinia on Kalamata olives.

Mt. Vikos Manouri

2008-06-12T00:13:00.000-07:00

Greek Cheese Page on Manouri:

Manouri is the most exceptional traditional Greek whey cheese with Controlled Denomination of Origin (DOC). It is exclusively manufactured in Central and Western Macedonia and in Thessalia from whey derived from ewe’s or goat’s or mixture of them, with the addition of milk and/or cream (in larger percentages than these used for anthotiros), when making hard cheeses. Manouri is a soft cheese with unique taste and flavour. The mean composition of Manouri is: moisture 51.9%, fat 36.7%, proteins 10.9%, salt 0.8% and pH 5.9.

Cheesenet on Manouri

Typical uses for manouri cheese include:

• spanikopita, the spinach cheese dish made with layers of phyllo dough and typically including a blend of cheeses, such as feta, anthotyro and manouri;
• kalitsounia, sweet pastries from Crete;
• savory cheese pies, including those served for Easter—a custard pie made with a blend of cheese which may include feta, manouri, kefalotyri, or parmesan;
• in the dressing called brinza;
• served with fresh fruit slices, honey, and toasted walnuts;
• as a salad garnish particularly for salads of beans, eggplant, or tomatoes;
• as a desert cheese; and
• as a pasta topping;

Mt. Vikos Kefalotiri (Kefalotyri)

2008-06-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

From Fundamentals of Cheese Science By Patrick F. Fox, Paul L. H. McSweeney, Timothy M. Cogan, p401:

Kefalotiri is a Greek cheese made from pasteurized sheep or goat milk standardized to about 6.0% fat. The milk is inoculated with a thermophilic culture (usually Sc. thermophilus and Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus) and coagulated by calf rennet. The curds are cooked to 43-45 degrees C, transferred to molds lined with cheesecloth and subjected to a low pressure, which is increased slowly. Upon removal from the molds, the cheeses are dried overnight and brine-salted. After brining, dry salt is rubbed onto the surface of the cheese over the next few days to give a final salt content close to 4%. During this time, the cheeses are washed with a brine-soaked cloth to control microbial growth on the surface and ripened for about 3 months.

The Greek Cheese Page

A kefalo, by the way, is a type of hat.

List of selected ethnic markets in Ann Arbor, MI

2008-06-11T23:33:00.000-07:00

From Kitchen Empress:
*

Bombay Grocers
3022 Packard Rd.
734 971-7707
*

Dong Yu China Market
2765 Plymouth Rd.
734 669-8821
*
European Market
3108 Packard St.
(734) 975-4326

*

Foods of India
1168 Broadway
734 332-0500
*

Jerusalem International Market
1713 Plymouth Rd.
734 668-7773
*
Hua Xing Asia Market [amazing, just amazing]
2867 Washtenaw Ave
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
*

Lucky Market
1665 Plymouth Rd.
734 769-1688
*

Manna International Food and Gifts
1156 Broadway St.
734 663-6868
*

Mediterranean Market
4019 Stone School Rd.
734 477-8023
*

Tsai Grocery
3115 Oak Valley Dr., Pittsfield Twp.
734 995-0422

Mt. Vikos Barrel Aged Feta

2008-06-11T22:56:00.000-07:00

Good things come from wooden barrels. The greatest of spirits, of wines, of vinegars, and more include barrel aging as a component of their taste. Wood is flavorful as a spice, for lack of a better term. Even meats take on the flavor of its smoke so well.

I was in Whole Foods yesterday and saw their feta section. They have three cheeses labeled feta, one from cow, one from goat, and one from sheep milk. As an opportunity to taste the difference between the three animal's milk, I couldn't pass it up, but as an example of feta, I don't think so, except perhaps the sheep. One block over, at a great ethnic market (we have some great ethnic markets in town) they carry Bulgarian, French, and other peoples' takes on feta.

"Any attempt to trace feta's origins leads a researcher straight into quicksand."

At Mt. Vikos, a Greek company that makes an acclaimed barrel-aged feta, the production process lasts a minimum of two months. It begins with pasteurized milk from local herds of sheep and goats that graze freely on pastures near the dairy. Greek regulations require that feta be at least 70 percent sheep's milk, with the remainder goat's milk. Sheep's milk is richer and more desirable, but sheep are shy producers, so supplementing with goat's milk is allowed.
After the bacterial culture and rennet are added, the milk coagulates in less than an hour. Cheesemakers know when the curd is ready to cut. With a wire implement, they cut the curds into relatively large cubes, then transfer them to perforated molds for draining. Over the next three hours, the cheesemaker will jiggle, massage and gently press the curds to assist the draining and help them knit together into a wheel.
Next, the thick round is cut into three fat, pie-shaped segments, and these wedges are flipped a couple of times to encourage more draining. The next day, the segmented rounds are packed in wooden barrels with sea salt between the layers. After 24 hours, the wedges are rinsed and nestled in a second set of birch barrels that have been rubbed on the inside with a fresh cheese made from the feta's own whey. Then the cheesemaker fills any gaps with whey, seals the barrels and transfers them to a room kept at about 68 degrees to cure for 15 to 20 days. Finally, the barrels are moved into refrigerated storage, where the cheese continues to develop, albeit more slowly.
Prime age
Although the cheese is ready at two months, Mt. Vikos founder Sotiris Kitrilakis likes to hold onto it for at least four months. "Ideally, the cheese should be eaten between 6 and 12 months old," writes Kitrilakis in an e- mail.

...

Most feta today is aged in tins, which doesn't allow for the same sort of flavor development. Because barrels are permeable, allowing oxygen in, barrel- aged feta can mature like wine.

The Greek Cheese Page

Fetamania!

Cheesenet on Feta

Feta can be whipped with olive oil, garlic, oregano and hot peppers to make the spicy cheese spread known in Greece as htipiti.

David Rosengarten on Mt. Vikos feta

Spittoon and other Sites

2008-01-06T00:09:00.000-08:00

I need to investigate this later, but don't have the time right now.

About Spittoon and other Sites: "Wine tasting notes and wine news with plenty of links forms the basis of content. Topics such as beer and spirits add to the mix. Food and wine matching form a lot of the content."

Myths about saturated fats

2007-12-24T08:40:00.000-08:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22116724

"While the findings from these cultures seem to contradict the fact that eating saturated fat leads to heart disease, it may surprise you to know that this "fact" isn't a fact at all. It is, more accurately, a hypothesis from the 1950s that's never been proved.

"We've spent billions of our tax dollars trying to prove the diet-heart hypothesis. Yet study after study has failed to provide definitive evidence that saturated-fat intake leads to heart disease. The most recent example is the Women's Health Initiative, the government's largest and most expensive ($725 million) diet study yet. The results, published last year, show that a diet low in total fat and saturated fat had no impact in reducing heart-disease and stroke rates in some 20,000 women who had adhered to the regimen for an average of 8 years.
But this paper, like many others, plays down its own findings..."

Facebook invades users privacy in unwarranted manner

2007-11-29T18:43:00.000-08:00

Matt in New York already knows what his girlfriend got him for Christmas...

Why? Because a new Facebook feature automatically shares books, movies, or gifts you buy online with everyone you know on Facebook. Without your consent, it pops up in your News Feed--a huge invasion of privacy. (See demo below.)

CAN YOU SIGN THE PETITION TO FACEBOOK TODAY? THEN INVITE FRIENDS TO THIS GROUP!

Petition: "Facebook must respect my privacy. They should not tell my friends what I buy on other sites—or let companies use my name to endorse their products—without my explicit permission."

Sign here:
http://civ.moveon.org/facebookprivacy/?rc=fb_privacy

Then, tell your friends about this group. Click here to invite all of your friends:
http://www.facebook.com/editgroup.php?members&gid=5930262681

That which is distracting me from posting

2007-10-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'll talk about olive oil again, soon. I'm getting back into the swing of working again after my beautiful daughter was born. Olive oil research will show up again as well.

SUD-OUEST

2007-10-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

SUD-OUEST

Provinces, departements,
Regions, gouvernements,
Obscure by military and diplomatic might
The common thread of butcher's twine holding tight
A cassoulet's land through gastronomic commonalities

From Perigord to Languedoc,
Held together by goose and duck,
Fancied with truffles, foie gras, piment d'espelette,
Preserved and unified by CONFIT, they remain unsplit,
The French Southwest, the sobriquet--Guyenne's and Gascony's

-----------------

Come join me as I explore that piece of France from which 3/4 or more of Zingerman's French products originate, the Greater French Southwest. We'll speak of Basque, Bearn and Bordelais, of Agenais and Perigord, of Quercy and Limousin, of Auvergne, Rouergue and Languedoc and what ties them together, tasting ingredients as we explore.

We'll taste vinegars, spices, olive and walnut oils, my favorite line of mustards, olives, pates, cassoulet, and more.

Hope to see you there. Tell people about it. Sign up in advance.

Tasting the Ingredients of the French Southwest
Thursday, October 18,
422 Detroit St.
Upstairs, Next Door,
$20 in advance,
$25 at the door,
7-9 PM

Call (734)663-3400 to reserve a spot

Eat fearlessly,
Solomon

My first media mention

2007-09-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

A litle break from my paternity leave to say Woo hoo! My first mention in a publication not published by Zingerman's. Small mention, but you've got to start somewhere.

Business Week SmallBiz, August/September 2007 -- Mmm…Sour Grapes: "When tasting at home, use a small plastic cup or spoon. DiPalo suggests drinking water and eating a breadstick between spoonfuls. Better, visit a gourmet store that has bottles open for customers to sample. Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, Mich., stocks 25 vinegar selections, all available for tasting. Vinegar lovers say part of the fun is discovering a new favorite, such as the Sanchez Romate sherry vinegar preferred by Zingerman's retail sales taster Solomon James, or Minus 8, an ice wine vinegar that Patrick Feury, executive chef at the Berwyn (Pa.) restaurant Nectar, uses in an Asian-inspired tuna dish. Of course, you don't need to be a chef to find your own favorite—just willing to take a new look down the specialty foods aisle."

New daughter - pause in new posts

2007-08-27T07:13:00.001-07:00

My new daughter was born a week ago, Delilah Jack James, at 7 pounds, 12.5 ounces, 12 inches long. She's amazing and wonderful and occupying my paternal leave time with pleasure. I'll refocus on this blog in a week or two.

Innovation at Google - must watch

2007-08-10T09:33:00.001-07:00

This is a 50 minute presentation with little happening except one guy standing up and talking about how to innovate... and I was enthralled through the entire discussion--watched the whole 50 minutes, might watch it again sometime.

I put this here for two reasons: one, I think the subject is important and well spoken and the more people who actually see this (especially who work with or near me) the better; two, it's a model for how to engage an audience for 50 straight minutes of speaking, which I need to study since keeping a room engaged for 90 minutes is what I do for a living and intend to expand upon doing for a living. My first two takes are that a person speaking passionately about something they are passionate about draws an audience into the presentation and that having something interesting to say always helps. Be alive and have something interesting to say.

INTERNATIONAL OLIVE COUNCIL (IOC) and CALIFORNIA TRADE STANDARDS for OLIVE OIL

2007-07-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

This paper is by Paul Vossen. This man has made my olive oil studies so rich.

INTERNATIONAL OLIVE COUNCIL (IOC) and CALIFORNIA TRADE STANDARDS for OLIVE OIL

Note about shelf life of olive oil in clear glass

2007-07-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

I love the University of California at Davis.... If I ever get a graduate degree, I know where I'm most interested in going.

"Oils in clear glass exposed to light at room temperature can go flat in two months and rancid shortly thereafter."

Olive Oil Shop In Saugatuck

2007-06-16T22:31:00.001-07:00

While on vacation in Saugatuck, Michigan, I ran across this store which sells olive oil. They present about half a dozen infused oils & half a dozen varietal oils. It's doing all the right things in regard to showing respect for the product. 2 things struck me about it. First, that no bread or other medium was used to taste the oil. Nothing came between me & the oil except a little 1/2 oz. paper cup I could help myself to. Second, they labeled their oils with the variety, the country of origin, the acidity level, and the taste description, nothing else. I hope it works well for them, because it's how olive oil deserves to be presented. I wholeheartedly applaud their efforts.

Oh, and every oil I tasted was high quality--higher quality than a similar style shop opposite Murray's Cheese in NYC.

I wonder how many of these shops are starting to pop up around the country?

The proliferation of olive oil awards

2007-06-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

This is a topic that I'll explore as time goes on. The page this links to speaks to a few of the "pay for participation" awards.

Information about proliferation of olive oil awards:
"Olive Oil Producers are eager to win tasting competitions and achieve official certification for their oil. The awards hopefully translate into a medal or seal on the label, recognition for a superior product with a commensurate increase in sales. But there has been a proliferation of medals and seals available and they aren’t all created equally. The ones that industry players covet and respect may not mean much to consumers. Other awards which are promoted with a sophisticated media campaign funded by royalties from agribusiness giants may get more attention. More seals may lead to consumer confusion, disinterest or distrust.

Olive Oil producers in California generally respect the results of the L.A. County Fair judging and the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) seal as legitimate indicators of quality. That can’t be said for the ACI awards described above.

The problem is the awards are founded on a flawed premise. The insinuation is that there is an “institute” of chefs who cheerfully judge products which have not even asked to be judged. In reality the ACI is a business that is in the business of awarding medals and receiving money for it. Their process is designed to maximize royalty income, not choose the best oil. It is not surprising that none of the oils chosen for judging have ever won an award in a more rigorous venue...."

Best olive oil site I've read today

2007-06-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

This person has only been writing since January of 2007 on this blog, and has a crazy grammar which I assume comes from a non-native relationship to English (fun to read, though). However warped the man's writing is (and I mean that in a good way), he does know about olive oil, and is on his way to becoming a professional taster certified by the International Olive Oil Council (more properly called the International Olive Council since 2006).

Tea, Olive oil and other great tastes

Chemistry and fraudulent impurities of honey

2007-06-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

An interesting article on the creation of honey, its chemistry, and how to test it for fraudulent impurities. This is a PDF file. The author seems to be a chemist or physicist at Hill Agriculture Research and Extension Centre in Bajaura, India.

Article from Science Tech Entrepreneur April 2007

Gordon Ramsey Scrambled Eggs Breakfast

2007-05-31T10:54:00.001-07:00

Eggs are one of the best vehicles to taste olive oils with, and this looks like a great way of preparing eggs. The choice of olive oil drizzled on the bread in this video would completely alter the experience of the final dish (assuming a high-quality oil was used, they would all be good).

Australian Olive and Olive Oil Information

2007-05-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

This is a summary of what's available about Australian olive oil from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation of the Australian government. On this same site, for those interested in Wattle seed info, there are many articles on Australian bushfoods and wattle seed.

1.1 New Plant Products Research Reports

Quality Enhancement of Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oils (06/135 UCS-33A)
- Full report (700k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (24k)

The Natural Chemistry of Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (06/132 DAN-239A)
- Full report (1meg) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8k)

Tasting and Classifying Virgin Olive Oil - An international course for panel supervisors 12 – 16 December 2005 at University of Imperia, Italy (06/070 TA 056-19) - Full report (300k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8k)

Olive Variety Regional Performance Study (05-160 Appendix to Final Report SAR-47A)
Full report (720k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (36k)

National Olive Variety Assessment – (NOVA) – Stage 2 (05/155 SAR-47A)
Full report (600k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (36k)

From Planting to Harvest — A study of water requirements of olives, from planting to first commercial harvest (05/039 DEB-2A)
Full report (131k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

Sustainable Pest and Disease Management in Australian Olive Production (05/080 UWS-17A)
Full report (360k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

Olive Harvest - Harvest timing for optimal olive oil quality (05/013 RIRDC DAN-197A)
Full report (460k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

The Olive Industry– An environmental management systems framework (04/057 RIRDC NEL-1A)
Full report (295Kb) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

Wild olive selection for quality oil production (04/101 UA-54A)
Full report (1.3megs) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

Olive water use and yield - monitoring the relationship (03/048 UA-47A)
- Full report 427k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

NOVA – the National Olive Variety Assessment Project (03/054 SAR-23A)
- Full report 174k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

Olive Variety Assessment for Subtropical Summer Rainfall Regions (03/021 OAP-1A)
- Full report (260k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Summary Report (8 kb)

Olive Oil Yield, Quality and Cultivar Identification (01/23 UCS-19A)
- Full report (104k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Summary Report (8 kb)

R&D Plan for the Australian Olive Industry 2003-2008 (02/119 AOL-6A)
- Full report (128k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Summary Report (8 kb)
You can also read this report online (www.rirdc.gov.au/pub/olive5yr.htm)

Regional Australian Olive Oil Processing Plants (GGO 1A 00/187)
- Full report (337 kbs) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Summary Report 14 kb)

Olive Oil Forums - Powered by vBulletin

2007-05-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

The things I do not yet know about olive oil are unimaginably large. I had no idea this existed. I'm upset that nothing I've ever visited has pushed me toward this before and I had to stumble onto it through a Google search for "by Paul Vossen" ... (sigh)

Olive Oil Forums - Powered by vBulletin

Olive Cultivars - Australia

2007-05-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

Olive Cultivars in Australia, with Frantoio as an example of the depth of explanation:

"The following list is by no means a comprehensive guide to all olive cultivars available in Australia. However, it does cover all those cultivars which have been proven in Australian, and in many cases international, trials. Many other cultivars are currently under trial in Australia, however, their commercial viability is not yet known. For information on other available cultivars, please contact Australis Plants.

FRANTOIO

Other names - (Also grown in Australia under the name Paragon) Frantoiano, Correggiola, Correggiolo, Razzo, Gentile (These five are considered to be of the same 'family' or 'varietal population' as Frantoio due to their extremely similar biological and organoleptic characteristics and their traditional region in central Italy. The Frantoio grown by Olives Australia have been DNA tested and match the Frantoio grown in Tuscany, Italy. Please see Issue 10 of the Australian Olive Grower journal.

General - Fruit is small in size, ripens late in the season, and has a very high oil content. The flesh to pit ratio is average. Frantoio produces regular heavy crops. Although the tree has medium to high vigour, the mature tree is generally low at about 8 metres. Frantoio is said to be the benchmark for olive oil in Italy. The cultivar has an expansive crown and long pendulous fruiting branches. It is generally said to be self fertilising however a number of growers use pollinators.

Climatic Considerations - Presently, Frantoio is grown mainly in the Tuscany region of central Italy. However, it has proven itself to be extremely adaptable to diverse and harsh climatic conditions in other areas while still giving an excellent crop. It is very resistant to extremes in cold. In fact, we saw a number of Frantoio orchards under up to 600mm of snow during December 1995. The snow only remained on the trees for two days which did not damage the actual biological structure of the leaves and bark; however, due to the weight of the snow, a number of primary branches were damaged which will reduce the crop in the following season. It should be noted though, that any fruit which was still left on the trees during these days of snow was damaged by the cold and would produce a poorer quality oil. Many Frantoio were planted in Tuscany in the mid eighties to replace trees which were killed during the 1985 freeze.

Commercial Viability - Gives an excellent quality oil in great quantities. The fresh oil is generally quite strong/bitter and is therefore used widely as a blending oil to increase the flavour of less distinct cultivars. Its excellent balance of acids allows the oil to be kept for up to two years. Frantoio is the most productive cultivar in central Italy. A single Australian test has shown that the acidity of oil taken from Correggiola increases as the season progresses. If further trials show this to be true, it can be easily overcome by picking the fruit during the first two months of the harvesting period rather than later in the season.

Pests and Disease - Sensitive to peacock spot (Cycloconium oleaginum or Spilocaea oleaginea).

Pollinators - A number of Italian growers say that planting an occasional Pendulina cultivar may increase crops by up to 10%. If a grower chooses to plant Pendulina for cross-pollination, 5-10% of the total orchard's trees as Pendulina is sufficient.

Three new commercial olive groves in Britain!

2007-05-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

In that part of the world that doesn't deny global warming, for example, Britain:

Faced with rising temperatures, farmers have to plan tree crops that can withstand a hotter climate. Already, the UK growing season has lengthened by about a month since 1900. By mid-century, maximum temperatures in southern counties will break through the 40C (104F) level, and by 2080, the South East could be as hot as Bordeaux is now.

With that change in focus, Britain is thinking about olives.

Britain warms to the taste for home-grown olives-News-Weather-TimesOnline:

The olive trees were imported from Tuscany, where they experience frost and snow in winter and high temperatures in summer. Drainage on the heavy Devon soil had to be improved, because olive trees are used to growing in thin, rocky soils. But with the rapidly warming climate, it is hoped the first commercial British olive crop will be harvested in a few years’ time.

Perhaps even more surprising, two commercial olive groves have been planted much further north, in Wales and Shropshire. Three hundred Italian olive trees were planted at Wroxeter Roman Vineyard, near Shrewsbury, and the first Welsh olive grove was begun in Anglesey.

Hat tip to The Foodie List for pointing me to this

Nearly 30% of entrys in LA Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition not Extra Virgin

2007-05-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

The Sacramento Bee

Claims of oil fraud are tough to validate, since there's no industrywide testing program. But impostors show up even in prestigious competitions, said Darrell Corti, who runs Corti Brothers Market in Sacramento and is the chief judge of the Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition, the nation's biggest olive oil event.

In this year's contest, held last week, 118 of the 396 entrants didn't meet the extra-virgin grade's basic standards, Corti said.

Claudio Peri calls for higher quality designation than "extra virgin" for olive oil in California

2007-05-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

The Sacramento Bee

Will American consumers pay more for olive oil that claims to be even more pristine than extra-virgin? Will they even be able to tell the difference?
With the value of the "extra-virgin" designation diluted by fraud and dozens of new California labels looking for a way to stand out in a tight market, some in the olive-oil business think it's time for a higher standard.
This week, Claudio Peri, a food science professor at the University of Milan and the founder of a movement he calls "Beyond Extra Virgin," is at the University of California, Davis, to sell his idea to California's emerging olive oil industry. A two-day conference wraps up today.
The problem, say Peri and many in the California olive oil industry, is that much -- if not most -- of the extra-virgin oil on the U.S. market doesn't deserve the label. Extra-virgin oil requires a strict harvest and processing regimen that yields certain flavor qualities recognizable to expert tasters. Many of the major label extra-virgin brands don't make the cut, they say.
"The globalization of the olive oil industry is homogenizing the market. It really depletes the average quality," said Peri, 69, in an interview Tuesday.
...
Extra-virgin or not, olive oil has become a hot item in U.S. supermarkets, with sales volume doubling from 1996 to 2006, to roughly 60 million gallons. The average American consumes just under a quart of olive oil a year; consumption in several Mediterranean countries is more than 12 times greater.
...
This year, the state's olive oil production is expected to be as much as 700,000 gallons, up nearly threefold since 2001.

Olive Oil Bar

2007-05-22T22:58:00.001-07:00

Olive Oil Bar, originally uploaded by hyku.

Interesting setup... I'll have to think about this.

Olive Oil Table Spread - untested

2007-05-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

I've never thought of this before, but I want to experiment with it... and I'm willing to ignore the "light-flavored" suggestion because I have access to some damn flavorful butter. Maybe a nice goat butter and a peppery, fruity olive oil.

Olive Oil Table Spread:

"500g (2 cups) of butter
1.5 cups of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. (Make sure it is fairly light-flavored oil, otherwise the oil will overwhelm the butter taste)

Beat the butter in a food processor or Mixmaster until softened, then gradually add the olive oil.
When it is all completely blended, it will be quite pourable.

I pour it into individual containers and put lids on, then store them in the fridge.

When cold it is quite hard."

Italo-Californian Olive Oil Confernce Program

2007-05-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

My god, I wish I could see this...

1
BEYOND EXTRA VIRGIN:
ITALO-CALIFORNIAN OLIVE OIL CONFERENCE
Freeborn Hall, UC DAVIS, May 22-23, 2007
May 22, 2007
The Olive Oil Production Chain: Challenges and Innovations
9:00 Opening.
Sharon Shoemaker, Executive Director, California Institute of Food and Agricultural Research
(CIFAR), University of California, Davis (UC Davis)
9:05 Official Welcome.
William Lacy, Vice Provost, University Outreach and International Programs, UC Davis
A.G. Kawamura, Secretary of Agriculture, State of California, Sacramento
Alessandro Terenghi, Chief Executive Officer, Alfa Laval - USA
Claudio Peri, President, Association TREE, Italy
9:40 Plenary: Introduction to Olive Oil Production in the World.
Paul Vossen, UC Extension Specialist, Sonoma and Marin Counties, Santa Rosa, CA
10:40 Break (displays, posters)
Session I: Charles Shoemaker, moderator
11:00 A Vision, a Name and a Strategy for Excellence in Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Claudio Peri, President, Association TREE, Italy
11:40 Orchard Practices and Olive Oil Quality.
Paul Vossen, UC Extension Specialist, Sonoma and Marin Counties, Santa Rosa, CA
12:10 Olive Harvesting Mechanization Systems.
Alessandro Leone, Professor, University of Foggia, and Antonia Tamborrino, University of Bari, Italy
12:40 Lunch (displays, posters)
Session II: Dan Flynn, moderator
2:00 Innovation in Olive Oil Extraction Technology and Plants.
Lamberto Baccioni, General Manager, Olive Oil Division, Alfa Laval, Italy, and
Paolo Amirante, Professor, University of Bari, Italy
3:00 The Influence of Processing Operations on Olive Oil Quality: A Critical Review.
Maurizio Servili, Professor, University of Perugia, Italy
3:30 A Report on California Experiments with Different Olive Oil Mills.
Alexandra Devarenne, UC Extension Specialist, Sonoma and Marin Counties, Santa Rosa, CA
4:00 An Overview on Waste Water Treatment and Disposal.
Pasquale Catalano, Professor, University of Molise, Italy
4:30 New Trends in Olive Growing.
Riccardo Gucci, Professor, University of Pisa, Italy
5:00 Reception
2
May 23, 2007
Sensory & Nutritional Quality, and Preferences & Uses of Olive Oil
9:00 Opening.
Jean-Xavier Guinard, Associate Vice Provost, International Programs and professor, University of
California, Davis
Session III: Paul Vossen, moderator
9:05 The Universe of Olive Oil Quality: A Consumer-oriented Vision of Olive Oil Quality.
Charles Shoemaker, Professor, University of California, Davis and
Claudio Peri, President, Association TREE, Italy
9:40 The American Consumer’s Approach to Olive Oil.
Darrell Corti, Corti Bros., Sacramento, CA
10:10 Marketing California Olive Oil from a Producer’s Perspective.
Alan Greene, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, California Olive Ranch, Oroville, CA and President,
Board of Directors, California Olive Oil Council, Berkeley, CA
10:40 Break (displays, posters)
11:10 Olive Oil on the Table: a Point of View from Gastronomy and Food Service.
Bill Briwa, Chef Instructor, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, St. Helena, CA
11:40 A Sense of Identity: The Sensory Profiles of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Erminio Monteleone, Professor, University of Florence, Vice President of the Italian Society of
Sensory Science
12:10 Lunch (displays, posters)
Session IV: Darrell Corti, moderator
1:30 Two Tales of Olive Oil: Stories and Tastings from UC Davis and Fresno State.
Dan Flynn, Program Promotion Manager, UC Davis Olive Oil, Building and Grounds Division, and
Gino Favagrossa, Orchard Manager, College of Agriculture, Cal State University, Fresno
2:20 The Nutritional Quality of Olive Oil.
Bruce German, Professor, University of California, Davis
2:50 An up-to-date Report on Antioxidant Properties of Olive Oil.
Francesco Visioli, Professor, University of Milano, Italy
3:10 The Role of Olive Oil Phenols in Human Tumor Cells Proliferation and Differentiation.
Guido Morozzi, Professor, University of Perugia, Italy
3:30 A Guided Tasting Session on Italian and Californian Extra Virgin Olive Oils.
Leaders: Erminio Monteleone and Paul Vossen
4:30 Closing with Announcement of Date and Location for Next Conference.
5:00 Adjourn.
3
DISPLAYS
Accademia Dei Georgofili – Florence
Alfa Laval Olive Oil
Association TREE
California Olive Oil Council
Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
Enoteca Italiana di Siena
Fresno State Olive Oil
Province of Siena
University of California, Davis, CIFAR
University of California, Davis, Olive Oil
University of Gastronomic Sciences, Pollenzo, Italy
POSTERS as submitted

Italy's olive oil law change

2007-05-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Excuse the unlinked content, I'm posting from my Treo. But I saw this quote in a news article and had to share it:

"A television investigation by RAI, the state broadcaster, tracked a load of olio di sansa, the oil that is extracted from the pulp after the extra virgin has been pressed, as it passed through Turkey.
When the oil left the Turkish port on its way to Italy, it was certified as extra virgin."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/05/07/nfood07.xml

Italian olive oil labeling law to become much more strict

2007-05-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

Assuming this new law doesn't break European Union rules, Italian labeling law for olive oil is about to become much more strict.

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/05/17/italy.olives.reut/

Collection of all olive oil production videos from Youtube

2007-05-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

I started collecting all olive oil videos together, and will keep an eye on new ones from now on.

http://www.youtube.com/group/oliveoil

Advertisement for Olive Harvester machine

2007-05-13T22:45:00.001-07:00

This is one of the directions olive oil production is taking. I find it hard to believe the claim of the advertisement that no harm to the fruit occurs.

Australian Olive Association: News

2007-05-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

Australian Olive Association: News

History of growing olives in New Zealand

2007-05-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

History of growing olives in New Zealand

Chocolate oligopoly in USA wants to change chocolate's definition to not include cocoa butter

2007-05-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

From Oligopolywatch

According to a Bloomberg article ("Hershey Battles Chocolate Connoisseurs Over Selling `Mockolate'". April 24):

The Chocolate Manufacturers Association, whose members include Hershey, Nestle SA and Archer Daniels Midland Co., has a petition before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to redefine what constitutes chocolate. They want to make it without the required ingredients of cocoa butter and cocoa solids, using instead artificial sweeteners, milk substitutes and vegetable fats such as hydrogenated and trans fats.

The reason for the requested change is the great expense of cocoa butter, a required ingredient. Big Candy would like to substitute cheaper stuff, included the dread tarns-fats.
There's been little public reaction to the little-publicized proposal, and that's just fine with the chocolate-makers. They'd like to "help" the overtaxed Food and Drug Administration to draft new rules, especially while there is still time in a big business-loving Bush administration.

Mixed news for sensory panels seeking IOOC accreditation

2007-05-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

Every year, the IOOC releases a list of the panels allowed to give sensory evaluation for the council for the next year.

Bad news for California, mixed news for Australia, good news for New Zealand:
The International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) has released the list of accredited organoleptic panels qualified to classify olive oil for the year 2006/2007. A notable absence is the Australian Olive Association Panel which has been leading the development of the taste element of Australian olive oils for almost a decade. The panel has had a major impact on the organoleptic development of Australian olive oils through the participation of its members in most of the recognised national olive oil competitions. A new panel, administered by Peter Olsen of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries in Wagga Wagga, has been added to the list for the first time. In New Zealand the panel supervised by Margaret Edwards for Olives New Zealand has been accredited while the United States will be without a panel for another year, the California Olive Oil Council panel not achieving recognition.

Here's the list of panels from the UN agency, the International Olive Oil Council

Here's a preview of the next two weeks -- non-mediterranean olive oils

2007-05-02T21:32:00.000-07:00

Explore the continent of Australia

Explore the country of New Zealand

Explore South America

Explore North America

Explore South Africa

Explore vinegars of the non-Mediterranean

Facts about olive oil labeling: the truth about extra virgin, best used by, and more

2007-05-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

23 of the 24 countries of the world that are the major producers of olive oil belong to a non-governmental regulating body called the International Olive Oil Council. The 24th country has antiquated laws and regulations about olive oil and has not signed on to the Council. In 23 of those countries, an olive oil sold as "Extra Virgin" meets quite a stringent set of rules that dictate what's being sold to you is good, quality olive juice... not the cooking oil that refined olive oil is, barely tasting separate from its crude colleagues, canola oil, vegetable oil, corn oil; "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" is more on par with hazelnut oil, pinenut oil, almond oil, but really a league above them as well. Olive Oil has more variations of taste than butter--and butter tastes damn good. The highest quality olive oils have as much variation as the highest quality honeys, or the variations in cheese. They are beautiful expressions of the diversity of the olive and its connection to the land on which it grows.

The 24th country is the United States, which, save for a ribald band of olive oil producers in California that have formed the California Olive Oil Council, has no meaningful regulations on what can be called "Extra Virgin" olive oil. The minimal requirements set by U.S. laws allow the most indistinct, bland, and flavorless oils to still call themselves "Extra Virgin." It's meaning as a label has been severely diminished. So,

FACT #1 - "Extra Virgin" on a label of an olive oil bottle means absolutely nothing in regard to the taste of the oil in that bottle.

Once the physical means of extracting olive juice have been exhausted, the resulting oil is stored in huge stainless steel vats. Many olive oils are labeled "best used by" with a date stamped two years after the bottling date. That's the minimal requirements if an olive oil producer puts a "best used by" on their bottle. But here's the catch for the consumer: olive oil starts degrading the moment it's crushed out of that olive--it no longer has nature to protect it and in about two years, give or take quite a few months, that oil will go rancid. It's degrading while it's in that stainless steel vat. We can slow it down, but not WAY down--not without using chemistry and high temperatures to remove all impurities from the oil. It's that purity that U.S. laws regulate (and don't get me started on the fact that these are self-regulating laws, with no meaningful inspections)--which means that U.S. laws don't help people recognize fresh, tasty olive juice.

FACT #2 - "Best Used By" means absolutely nothing if not accompanied by a "Harvested In" date as well. The average time one has to use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil is about two years, some varieties giving nearly three years or even more, other varieties giving only a year.

FACT #3 - Not all "extra virgin" olive oils are as high quality as others, even when following the rules of the I.O.O.C. Look for the initials A.O.C. or D.O.P. (sometimes D.P.O.) as the easiest sign to see of a high-quality olive oil.

Frying with extra virgin olive oil - smoke point myths

2007-04-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

It's a myth that you can't fry with extra virgin olive oil. The smoke point of extra virgin olive oil is variable, but rarely falls below 375F for high end, high quality extra virgin olive oil. The smoke point is going to vary because it's effected by the free fatty acid content of the oil. The higher the free fatty acid content, the lower the smoke point. With refined olive oils (which is different than "virgin" vs. "extra virgin"), the fatty acids have been lowered by chemically stripping them out. With really high end olive oils, the fatty acid content is low because the olive was treated really well in its harvest and production.

The best temperature to fry foods (in a deep-fryer even) is 350 to 375 degrees F (several sources say this, including Joy of Cooking), which is below a nice high end olive oil's smoke point.

Free Fatty Acid % - Smoke Point Temp (degrees F)
0.04 - 425
0.06 - 410
0.08 - 400
0.10 - 390
0.20 - 375
0.40 - 350
0.60 - 340
0.80 - 330
1.00 - 320

That's a chart that shows how the smoke point of oil will change as the free fatty acid content changes. Notice that at the minimum acceptable level of free fatty acids in extra virgin olive oil (.8%) the smoke point is 330 degrees F, but much higher at a really high end olive oil's free acid content (Pasolivo's harvest this year is .15% so you could reach 380 degrees F). The California Olive Oil Council (COOC) seal means that the oil has a minimum of .5%, which would be at the lowest 345 degrees, and with a high end COOC oil fine for frying.

If you're using unfiltered or undecanted olive oil, smoke will occur (but the oil isn't smoking) because little olive solids are smoking.

So, my recommendation is to only use a high end extra virgin olive oil that has the free fatty acid content printed on the label below .2% if you're going to fry. And honestly, in this day and age, if an olive oil manufacturer isn't printing the acid content on the bottle, I would wonder why not and insist on tasting the oil before I buy it. Use one that doesn't have a lot of visible solids in it (or let the bottle sit for a day so the solids can settle) since burnt olive solids may have a negative effect on the taste of your food. Or use a refined olive oil. What I wouldn't use is something that calls itself "extra virgin" and sells for less than $30 a liter.

The other myth I want to dispel is that one is wasting their money by putting good olive oil in a skillet, but I'll do that later. You can find out yourself it's a myth by frying an egg in a good Tuscan-style olive oil and frying one in Colavita.

Experts may have found what's bugging the bees - Los Angeles Times

2007-04-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

Experts may have found what's bugging the bees - Los Angeles Times

A fungus that caused widespread loss of bee colonies in Europe and Asia may be playing a crucial role in the mysterious phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder that is wiping out bees across the United States, UC San Francisco researchers said Wednesday.

Researchers have been struggling for months to explain the disorder, and the new findings provide the first solid evidence pointing to a potential cause.

But the results are "highly preliminary" and are from only a few hives from Le Grand in Merced County, UCSF biochemist Joe DeRisi said. "We don't want to give anybody the impression that this thing has been solved."

Other researchers said Wednesday that they too had found the fungus, a single-celled parasite called Nosema ceranae, in affected hives from around the country — as well as in some hives where bees had survived. Those researchers have also found two other fungi and half a dozen viruses in the dead bees.
...
Historically, bee losses are not unusual. Weather, pesticide exposures and infestations by pests, such as the Varroa mite, have wiped out significant numbers of colonies in the past, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s.

But the current loss appears unprecedented. Beekeepers in 28 states, Canada and Britain have reported large losses. About a quarter of the estimated 2.4 million commercial colonies across the United States have been lost since fall, said Jerry Hayes of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Gainesville.

I won't even get into the proposed theory that cell phones are causing this (as if cell phone networks just came into existence in the last couple of years?)

Crop pollination and honeybees

2007-04-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

This article ran a year ago:

Time for a new approach to crop pollination: "The parasitic mite that devastated honey bee colonies across the United States this spring served notice that we are overly reliant upon the honey bee for crop pollination. Beekeepers report the mite infested 40 to 60 percent of managed beehives. Unless we find alternate pollinators to cart around, or another means to pollinate our fields, we risk periodic crop failures due to lack of pollination. And not just of almonds (whose February bloom faced severe honey bee shortages), but of any of the more than 100 insect-pollinated crops grown in the United States as well."

Now, this year a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder is occurring with honeybees.

From 1971 to 2006 approximately half of the U.S. honey bee colonies have vanished, but this decline includes the cumulative losses from all factors such as urbanization, pesticide use, tracheal and Varroa mites and commercial beekeepers retiring and going out of business, and has been fairly gradual. Late in the year 2006 and in early 2007, however, the rate of attrition was alleged to have reached new proportions, and the term "Colony Collapse Disorder" was proposed to describe this sudden rash of disappearances.^[1]

This could have a devastating effect on many crops, 1/3 of U.S. crops possibly, but probably not olives since wind is the main pollinator of olive trees.

Thanks to my co-worker, Vanessa, for reminding me about this.

Abandoned olive groves breeding ground for olive fruit fly

2007-04-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

Invasive Species Weblog: "The Chico Enterprise Record has an article, written by the Deputy Agricultural Commissioner of Butte County, California, about invasive olive trees - true olives (Olea spp.), not Russian or autumn olives (Elaeagnus spp.). The Deputy Ag Commissioner notes that abandoned olive groves in California have become vectors for crop pests, like the Olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae), and these pests are threatening active olive orchards. The fruits of the abandoned trees are also being dispersed by birds, and some trees have been found in wild areas."

My next tasting is on April 18 -- The World of Olive Oil

2007-04-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

Following is the description of my next tasting from my co-worker, Jess. I'll talk about the tasting myself more later, but the basic theme is old world vs. new world.

World of Olive Oil with Solomon
Wednesday, April 18th, 7:00-9:00pm, $20 per person
Zingerman’s Deli-Next Door
Call 734-663-3400 to reserve your spot(s)

Even though it comes in a sealed bottle, our olive oil is the rawest, least processed food we sell. We've traveled the world to see first hand the production of this green nectar and want to share with you what we found. A famous blind taste test in 1976 resulted in a stunning victory for California wines over their French counterparts. Next on the chopping block might well be olive oil. Join us as we sample New World olive oils from California, Argentina and New Zealand against Old World powerhouses from France, Italy and Spain.

The State of Olive Oil Today

2007-03-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

U.S. domestic sales of olive oil have grown by 20% every year for the last five years (168% increase over the last six).

U.S. regulations regarding olive oil were established in 1948 and have not been revised since.

California's olive oil production is predicted to surpass France by 2010, with production doubling in the next five years as newly planted orchards start giving fruit.

In 2004, the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) began petitioning the USDA to establish new trade standards for grades of olive oil, which could be accepted with a friendly administration in power (especially with the Speaker of the House being from California)

"The most important element of the new standards is that it will inform the consumer as to the true quality and character of the olive oil. To qualify as extra virgin, an oil must pass strict chemical analysis, as well as an objective sensory evaluation designed to ferret out defective flavors acquired during harvesting and processing." - COOC

This change will have a dramatic effect on olive oil retailers. No longer will they have most of the olive oils on their shelf displaying the words "Extra Virgin" on their label. No longer will Extra Virgin have the same ease of access for a producer as "natural," "homemade," "tastes great!" No longer will producers in other countries be able to relabel their product for United States sale using language they can't get away with in any other olive oil producing country of the world. These retailers will see the majority of their olive oils, if not all of them, changing their labels to less attractive but more accurate descriptions of the product inside.

Customers of those retailers who are already only buying an oil that says "Extra Virgin" will walk away from retailers who aren't prepared for this change and no longer have $8 extra virgin olive oils on the shelf.

Everything I'm reading about olive oil nowadays says that olive oil is poised in the position that wine was 30 years ago in the United States. Much of that change that happened in the 1970s was because of the focus that the University of California at Davis had on viniculture, reporting on which varieties grew best in which regions of California. The U of C at Davis is doing the same thing, with the same fervent push, regarding olive oil in the last few years--going so far as to bottle their own olive oil from their own trees and sell it to their students.

Retailers who take action now to educate their community about extra virgin olive oil will be able to build a base of customers who trust them and understand the cost of extra virgin olive oil and the differences among them.

I'm having a baby girl!

2007-03-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Physiology and molecular biology of taste and smell

2007-03-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

I am now seriously gathering information for my intended new focus on every (EVERY) aspect of olive oil from dirt to mouth to brain. Do I want it to culminate in a book? Sure. Will there be many rewards among the way in the form of tastings, classes, articles, etc. Absolutely.

Three more pieces I need to explore:

The physiology of taste
The physiology of smell
Current theories of taste perception, from physiology into molecular biology

And if I really want to explore something I find I can search through this abstract summary database.

Almost all major taste theories that seem to exist have been laid forth after I graduated from college (1991). If one doesn't keep keeping up with science after leaving school, it's so easy to be left with antiquated beliefs.

Alphabetical list of 100s of people in the California Olive Oil Industry

2007-03-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

I don't quite know what I'm going to do with this resource yet, but I have to remember it.

Alphabetical list of 100s of people in the California Olive Oil Industry

Best chemical explanation of olive oil I've seen

2007-03-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

Chemical and Nutritional Properties of Olive Oil

The following is merely a soupçon of what exists on that page:

A Great discussion of olive oil chemistry by Guido Costa in simple terms

Herewith my contribution on FATTY ACIDS AND ACIDITY: Olive oil is composed mainly of triacylglycerols (triglycerides). Chemically speaking, these are molecules derived from the natural esterification of three fatty acid molecules with a glycerol molecule. The glycerol molecule can simplistically be seen as an "E-shaped" molecule, with the fatty acids in turn resembling longish hydrocarbon chains, varying (in the case of olive oil) from about 14 to 24 carbons atoms in length. Thus the triacylglycerols can, for our purpose, be visualized as elongated E-shaped molecules, each with three long extensions, being the three fatty acid chains "attached to each horizontal bar of the E".

Please note that we are dealing here with fatty acids forming part of the triacylglycerols molecule. They are distinct from FREE FATTY ACIDS, which we'll talk about later!

Various fatty acids are found in nature. They differ in length (number of carbon atoms in the chain) as well as in the type of chemical bonds found within the chain. Mostly these carbon-carbon bonds in the chain are "single" bonds, comprising 2 electrons shared between adjacent carbon atoms. However, in certain of the fatty acids, some of the bonds are "double bonds", where 4 electrons are shared between adjacent carbon atoms. The fatty acids that have no double bonds in their chains are called "saturated" fatty acids (all the carbons in their carbon chain are "saturated" by hydrogen atoms). Examples of saturated fatty acids are Palmitic Acid (16 carbons long), Stearic Acid (18 carbons long) and Arachidic Acid (20 carbons long). The fatty acids that have one carbon-carbon double bond somewhere along their length are called monounsaturated fatty acids (one carbon-carbon bond which is not fully saturated with hydrogens), i.e. one of the bonds available at each of 2 adjacent carbons is now used to form a double bond between themselves instead of being used to bond externally to hydrogen atoms. Examples of monounsaturated fatty acids are Palmitoleic Acid (16 carbons long) and our famous Oleic Acid (18 carbons long). Oleic acid is the most abundant fatty acid found in nature. The double bond in Oleic acid occurs in the mid position of the molecule, between carbon 9 and carbon 10.

I don't want to make this sound too complicated, but as soon as one brings a double bond into the picture, one must bear in mind that...

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey vs. Michael Pollan

2007-03-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

The debate I was anxiously waiting for occurred, and this is from the post on The Ethicurean:

"After much angsting, my epic recap of the event just went up on the UC Berkeley NewsCenter, the highlights of which are after the jump. (The webcast just went up, too.) Sadly, across campus, even UC Berkeley journalism student Carmel Wroth long ago beat me to the punch with a funny-yet-still-informative account of last night, damn him. You can find it over at Sam Fromartz’s blog, Chews Wise.

...

Elsewhere in the blogosphere: John Birdsall from the East Bay Express posted the most scathing take yet many hours ago, and I just know he’s going to say I drank the Kool-Aid and begged for more. Becks & Posh has a factual bone to pick. Cookiecrumb for once isn’t mad, and offers some succinct takeaway. (Or should it be takeout?) Jen has a very even-handed, fair & balanced report — and links to a lot more accounts. "

Olive Oil Factory

2007-03-16T11:21:00.001-07:00

What I find interesting about this, obviously much larger, olive oil production than Pasolivo's is how much faster the circular blades run through the mash--that's got to have an effect on how hot the mash is turning and how much flavor is being expelled from the oil before it even gets to the storage tanks.

It's one of those profit decisions versus taste decisions, I guess. One produces more oil if the machine is run faster.

I'm also fascinated by the burlap bags full of olives--I think if done properly, that could provide a gentler environment from tree to press than the large storage bins Pasolivo uses, especially if they were driven to the press on a shelving unit such that many bags weren't weighing down on each other.... hmmm... random thoughts.

New level of readership

2007-03-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

I seem to have stumbled onto a new level of recognition on this food blog. I've been part of the Wikipedia entry on olive oil for a while now, which did give me quite a boost in readership. Recently (like yesterday, I guess) a site called Buzz Feed had an entry on Unfiltered Olive Oil on its front page and listed me as one of the 10 best links about olive oil. Woo hoo! Gave me an exponential leap in readership, I must say.

I'm flattered to say that the description of the link to me was "Everything you could possibly want to know about olive oil."

Over time, hopefully a few more categories of "Everything you could possibly want to know about [BLANK]" will be added, I just need time to research and write (and host tastings)

Thank you BuzzFeed.

Eat Fearlessly,
Solomon

Olive Oil 101 coursebook w/o addendums w/o specific examples

2007-03-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

Click here to see all posts on this blog about olive oil

I look at the history of olive oil unromantically. So, don’t expect stories of Greek gods and goddesses and contests between Apollo and Athena. I honestly don’t care about that very much and I certainly don’t believe that many people think about that when they eat or use olive oil. I care about the history of olive oil as a way to better use and appreciate it and to add to your experience.

Understanding the path the olive tree has taken from country to country in its history has some relevance to enjoying olive oil. In seeing its path, one can see the type of environment the olive tree and its products flourish in and thus guess what countries might know a thing or two about high quality olive oil and what other countries might be able to produce olive oil. Evidence found by archaeologists and paleobotanists of the olive tree itself appears earliest in Asia Minor; pinpointing exactly where is more an invitation for argument than a rational discussion because this evidence is coming from 6000 B.C.E.

What is easier to track is how the olive tree moved and when it was cultivated on purpose—when we domesticated it and turned it from a wild tree giving fruits into a member of our garden of edible plants. 3^rd millennium B.C.E. in Crete shows the first evidence of cultivation of Olea Europea. At first, the olive tree moved as foreign occupation of other peoples and lands occurred around the Mediterranean. For example, the Venetians and the Turks invading Crete took the olive tree with them as did the Romans when they occupied Spain. The Phoenicians, who occupied colonies in present-day Lebanon and Palestine cultivated it throughout the southern Mediterranean, from Tunisia and Libya up through Morocco and Algeria. The Greeks, and eventually the Romans, cultivated it throughout the northern Mediterranean. Greece brought the first olive trees to France as a token of peace to Gaul. Modern day (i.e. last few hundred years) propagation of the tree has coincided with travel by the rich and intellectual, by university students, politicians, writers, missionaries, and business people who had money and reason to travel abroad and began to live in new places for extended periods of their lives, bringing the olive tree and its oil into butter consuming cultures.

We know much of the early history because the importance of olive oil was so great that trees and oil pots needed to be counted, thus they were part of the bureaucratic writings discovered in the Mycenaean Linear B tablets. Aristotle brought cultivation of the olive tree to a science, while Sonon (639-559 B.C.E.) put into place the first laws in regard to olive trees, stating that no more than two olive trees could be felled per year in one’s olive grove and sentencing to death anyone who purposely felled a cultivated olive tree. Olive oil was used for consumption, for trade, for cleanliness, for sports, for perfumes, and for beauty. The importance of it by religions, both pagan and Christian, can not be minimalized, with its use to anoint for many rituals, including burials. Medicinally, sixty uses of it are mentioned in the Hippokratic code, including contraception, gynecology, and dermatology. “many people outside of olive oil growing regions never saw olive oil unless it was bought from the druggist for softening earwax and other medical uses.” (California Olive Oil News)

“The facts about the nutritional properties of olive oil remain undisputed. It has been

scientifically proven that extensive consumption of olive oil reduces incidences of coronary and cardiovascular disease. It is also widely believed that the antioxidant substances such as vitamins E and K and polyphenols found in olive oil provide a defence mechanism that delays ageing and prevents carcinogenesis, atherosclerosis, liver disorders and inflammations and is well tolerated by the stomach, has a beneficial effect on gastritis and ulcers. Used as a te a, the olive leaves have a relaxing effect. As a cholagogue, it activates the secretion of pancreatic hormones and bile much more naturally than prescribed drugs, which lowers the incidence of cholelithiasis. It has a positive effect on constipation, beneficial effect on the brain and nervous system and its easy digestion promotes the overall absorption of nutrients and mineral salts.” (ELEA: Producing and Consuming Olive Oil, UN conference report, 1999)

But the history of the tree itself is perhaps less important to us culinarily then the history of agriculture and irrigation and proper methods of storage. As we began to take control of more of the 16 factors that determine the taste of an oil, we started to produce better olive oil.

Gross Simplification (though true) of How Olive Oil is Made

Plant or find a tree
Let an olive grow
Pick the olive
Remove the oil from the olive
Tweak the oil (blend, filter, decant, flavor, etc.)
Store the oil

If we take a look at how olive oil is made, we can see that as soon as the first olive tree was found, olive oil could be produced. Pluck enough olives, crush them together into a pulp with some rocks, put the pulp in a bowl and wait long enough and voila, oil, water, and solids will separate to a point that the oil can be used. If we wanted to drift to the most traditional olive oil that existed, we probably wouldn’t enjoy it very much with our modern palates. Culinarily, tradition gives way to industrial improvements when those improvements boost flavor.

“The fruit is technically a drupe with three parts; the epidermis (epicarp) which remains green throughout the growth phase then turns purple and brown when ripe, the fleshy part (mesocarp) which contains the oil and the stone or pit (endocarp) which holds the seed.” (COOC)

16 Factors that play a part in the taste of olive oil.

What the land brings to the picture

The Altitude
The Soil
1. “The amount of water required by a tree is dependent on climate, that is, how hot and dry and windy the growing season days are to cause the plants to transpire and keep themselves from burning up with drought stress. Olives are trees that are quite drought tolerant, in that they will not die if given little water, however if given insufficient water the trees will grow very slowly (taking 30+ years to reach full size instead of 10) and the fruit will be small (only a problem for table fruit). The rooting depth of your soil is the key factor for dry farmed fruit trees. Just because someplace can be dry farmed does not mean that other sites will also work. Success (growth and production of trees) is highly dependent on how much water is stored in the soil. A good rule of thumb is that most loam soils will hold about 2 inches of water per foot of rooting depth. So if you have a hillside location with 2 feet of rooting depth you will have 4 inches of water available for those trees for the whole season. If you have a deep valley soil with 5 + feet of rooting depth you will have 10 + inches of water for the season. If we get 40 inches of rain that means that all the rest ran off. An olive tree in the coastal climate of NE Santa Rosa, will require about 12 to 18 inches of water per season to be as productive as possible, that is growing well and producing large sized table fruit. For oil the trees might get by with only 10 to 16 inches. Little or no supplemental irrigation would be required to get adequate, but not maximum growth and production, if you have a deep soil. In a shallow soil, the trees would just grow very slowly, have severe alternate bearing, the fruit would be small, there might be fruit shrivel, and the fruit if used for oil, could be quite bitter.
  
  By the way, the amount of water available for the trees is ONLY if you allow no cover crop or weeds to steal the water first. Excellent weed control is extremely important for dry farming any crop. For 4-5 trees put 6 inches wood chips under the trees out to the drip line (or at least a 6 ft. diameter circle) to smother all the weeds and hold as much moisture in as possible”
The Pests
1. “If you are in an area where there is olive fly, you should pick the olives and destroy them to prevent over-wintering of the fly.”
2. See note on grubby taste in olives

What the tree brings to the picture

The shape and size of the tree and the amount of trees per acre
1. “Olive trees are propagated in California several different ways, including budding or grafting onto seedling rootstocks, leafy semi-hardwood stem cuttings, and hardwood cuttings. Less commonly used techniques locally, but somewhat more common world wide include truncheons, removing rooted suckers from the crown of the tree, and ovuli. (much content courtesy Glenn T. McGourty Plant Science Advisor and County Director UCCE Mendocino County)”
2. “Typically you get more olives as the tree gets older, not bigger olives. Olive size has more to do with crop size, watering, etc. Thinning will get you bigger olives.”
3. “Growers were also pruning too soon in the life of the tree. Vegetative growth is important early in the life of a tree to give it a good start. Newer recommendations are for no pruning in the first 4 years of the tree's life. Pruning is one of the most costly parts of any fruit tree operation.”
The variety of olive
1. “Specific types of olives, such as the Tuscan varieties, will have higher polyphenol values. These oils are valuable in that when blended with a low polyphenol oil they will extend the shelf life by preventing rancidity.” (California Olive Oil Council)
2. “The type of olives used for oil production may contain as much as 20% of their weight in oil. The larger varieties grown for pickling and brining often have as little as 5% oil”
3. Specifics of this will be discussed when ads and labels are examined
The age of the tree

“Here is a story of reproduction without the birds and the bees. Technically, olive trees are hermaphrodites and bear both perfect flowers (containing both male and female parts) and imperfect flowers ( with only male parts).

“Some olive varieties are capable of self-pollination while others must depend on cross-pollination with different varieties. Farmers will place "pollinator" trees in an orchard to ensure successful pollination and a good crop when the main variety is self-incompatible. Even self-compatible cultivars fruit better with a "foreign" pollinator.

“Like other life which is propagated sexually, an olive tree will have traits common to both the male and female tress which were its progenitors. If it self-pollinates, then the olive seed produced will be similar to the tree it fell off of. Olive pollen can drift in the wind for miles, so if the olive is the result of cross-pollination from a different varietal, the seed will produce a tree with mixed traits. Simply put, the fruit from your seedlings which sprout all over may be different from each other even though they came off the same tree. They should all bear fruit.

“Because of this uncertainty with seedlings, olives are propagated by cloning cuttings from the same tree.”

What the specific year brings

The amount of rainfall
The amount of sunshine
The temperature of the season
The humidity of the season

What the harvester brings

The method of picking
1. “Olives are picked by hand by rapidly drawing the fingers or a rake along the branches, quickly stripping the fruit off into nets or a bucket or with pneumatic rakes onto nets. The fruit separates where it will. You cannot possibly expect to pick each olive individually to determine where it might separate from the tree.” (COOC)
The time spent off the tree before pressing
The ripeness of the olives
1. “Most olives picked earlier in the year will have more polyphenols. Olives picked later in the winter have fewer polyphenols and a more mellow taste. Polyphenol concentrations increase with fruit growth until the olives begin to turn purple then begins to decrease. Years ago farmers valued the more mellow taste and tried to wait to pick their olives but risked freezing or loss to the elements. Now the strong earlier harvest taste has become popular.” (COOC)

What the presser brings

The method of removing the oil
1. “Much is made of how the type of olive oil machinery will affect the flavor of extra virgin oil but in reality if used properly it has only a small influence. Extra virgin olive oil is made the same way with the same machinery in the US as in Italy. Only a tiny percent of the oil sold in the US is made in the US and is mostly artisanal extra virgin oil which is high in phenols.” (COOC)
2. “Most of the olive oil consumed in the US comes from Spain and Italy, and is usually refined. These mass market oils are generally refined and low in phenols.” (COOC)
3. “Refining takes olive oil which has already been made but which is old, rancid, was made from diseased olives or has some other sort of defect and makes it palatable. This is done by filtering, charcoal treatment, heating, and chemical treatment to adjust acidity. Refined oils are lower in tyrosol and other phenols. According to Wayne Emmons at Intertech, Extra Virgin Olive oil typically has 50-80 ppm polyphenols while refined oil has only 5 ppm.”
4. “Polyphenols and other primarily water soluble components make the olive [fruit] bitter. When the oil is separated from the paste, the bitter substances are left behind in the fruit water and pulp.”
5. There is about 1 tablespoon of olive oil (and about 120 calories) in: 40 small ripe black olives, 20 jumbo ripe black olives, 7 super colossal ripe black olives. 1 liter = 67 tablespoons so 1 liter of olive oil: 2680 small, 1340 jumbo, 469 super colossal. The average tree produces 33 to 44 pounds of olives per year. Olives weigh an average of 3.51 ± 0.49 grams, so an average tree has about 23,880 olives or 8.91 liters for a small bearing tree, 17.82 liters for a jumbo bearing tree, and 50.92 liters for a super colossal bearing tree, with a lot of leeway from tree to tree.
6. “When oil was primarily produced with hydraulic presses, the pit fragments were important in keeping the olive paste on the mats. Today most large oil producers use centrifugal machinery and the pit provides no particular advantage or disadvantage to the processing.
  
  There are olive oil companies which pit the olives before extracting the oil. They claim a better tasting oil but in California these oils have not distinguished themselves in blind competitions such as the L.A. county fair.” (COOC)

What the aftermarket brings

The method of storage (before and after bottling)
1. “As oil sits in storage tanks or the bottle, the polyphenols will slowly be oxidized and used up. If you want an oil with more polyphenols, buy one that displays a date guaranteeing that it is fresh and that has been stored properly.”
2. “Like most fruit, olives have waxes on their epidermis (epicarp) to protect them from insects, desiccation and the elements. These natural waxes are what allow an apple to be shined. If an oil is sent to a cold climate or will be used in a product like salad dressing where it will be stored in the refrigerator, it is often "winterized". The oil is chilled and filtered to remove the waxes and stearates. A standard test to determine if olive oil has been sufficiently winterized is to put it in an ice water bath (32 degree F) for 5 hours. No clouding or crystals should occur. Oil which has not been winterized will clump and form needle-like crystals at refrigerator temperatures as the longer chain fats and waxes in the oil congeal, but the oil will not usually harden completely unless chilled further. Some olive varieties form waxes which produce long thin crystals, others form waxes which congeal into rosettes, slimy clumps, clouds, a swirl of egg white like material, or white sediment which the consumer may fear represents spoilage. These visual imperfections may form outside the refrigerator during the winter when oil is exposed to cold temperatures during transport. Chilling or freezing olive oil does no harm and the oil will return to its normal consistency when warmed. The ideal temperature to store olive oil to reduce oxidation but to avoid clouding is around 50 degrees F.”
3. “It is a source of great irritation to the U.S. olive oil industry that our government does not have much at all in the way of labeling laws concerning olive oil. U.S. producers have come up with our own label - The COOC seal; which follows international olive oil council grading guidelines. Producers are encouraged to also date their oil, although few do and there is no standard dating code. Look on the label for a date. Remember that most olives are picked in the late fall or winter and are sold the next year, so 2002 oil will be the freshest available until early 2004 when 2003 oil will come on the market.
  
  Shelf life is very variable, depending on the olive variety, ripeness when pressed, care in processing, filtering, etc. It also depends on storage after it has left the producer, something they have no control of, so it is hard to "guarantee" a certain lifespan.
  
  Lifespan can be as little as 3 months for an unfiltered late harvest olive bottled in clear glass and sold off a supermarket shelf above hot deli foods which is then stored by the consumer in bright light on a hot stovetop with the cap unscrewed. It can be as much as 3-4 years for an early harvest, high polyphenol containing olive variety which has been filtered then packaged in a well sealed tin or dark bottle then stored in a cool dark place by the grocer and consumer.” (COOC)
The age of the oil
1. “A two year old olive oil may taste rancid to some while others don't mind it. Most people would be put off by the taste of any vegetable oil more than 4-5 years old. Rancid oil has fewer antioxidants but is not poisonous. A good percentage of the world's population routinely eat rancid oil because of lack of proper storage conditions and some actually prefer the taste. In historical times olives which had dropped to the ground or which may have spoiled were made into olive oil which was stored in open-mouthed earthenware vats. Practices like these encouraged rancidity. People have come to expect non-rancid oil in the past 50 years because of chemical refining and better production and storage methods.” (COOC)

Let’s talk labels. We’re going to examine 2 ads and 2 labels, identifying the key points and how they relate to the 16 factors. This is where discussion of a few examples of specific varieties will occur, as well as introduction of PDO and PGI designations.

Light

“Oils labeled as "lite" or "light" refer to flavor, not caloric content, as all vegetable oils have the same amount of calories. Theoretically "light" could refer to an excellent extra virgin oil made from olives picked late in the year but usually it signifies a flavorless low quality (refined) oil from Italy or Spain.” (COOC)

Polyphenols

If you want an oil high in polyphenols, pick one that is guaranteed to be extra virgin (has the COOC seal if produced in the US), is from the current harvest season and that has been properly stored. Some varieties have high polyphenols; Frantoio, Lucca, etc.

Cooking and Uses

Baking

“You could bake with just about any olive oil. Use a mellow oil for a sweeter taste or try a pungent Tuscan style oil for a bread with more of an Italian character.” (COOC)

Cooking

“Olive oil is a great oil for cooking. Strong flavored olive oils can be used for frying fish or other strong flavored ingredients. A mellow late harvest Mission variety oil could be used in baking a cake. Olive oil has a high smoke point, 410 degrees F, and doesn't degrade as quickly as many other oils do with repeated high heating. Use a variety of healthy vegetable oils when preparing food and incorporate a good extra virgin olive oil when you want its health benefits and wonderful Mediterranean flavor…. Polyphenols are stubborn substances which do not degrade easily with heat. You cannot refine oil by heating on the stove. ” (Charles Quest-Ritson)

“The conventional wisdom is that soft, gentle oils are best light-flavored foods because stronger flavors can overwhelm the taste of the oil so that only its texture remains perceptible.” “ (Charles Quest-Ritson)

DESCRIBING OLIVE OIL

The major tastes of olive oil

“The delicate flavor of quality extra virgin olive oil is related to the presence of a large number of chemical compounds. These flavor compounds comprise aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic and triterpenic alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, furan and thiophene derivatives. Over 100 such compounds have been identified which, as a whole, contribute to the distinctive organoleptic characteristics which make extra virgin olive oil so select. These aroma compounds form part of the unsaponifiable fraction, which makes up about 1% of the oil. These tastes and fragrances derive from compounds like hexanal (green, grassy), trans-2-hexenal (green, bitter), 1-hexanol and 3-methylbutan-1-ol, which are the major volatile compounds of olive oil. Many of these flavor compounds decompose if temperatures during milling exceed 30°C. Thus the importance of “cold pressing”. “ (COOC)

“Many studies have been done to try to predict a flavor profile based on an oil's chemistry. In "The Handbook of Olive Oil" by Harwood and Arapicio they cite studies done by the authors which show that aglycons are responsible for the bitter and pungent sensory attribute, as well as tyrosol and possibly alpha-tocopherol. The phenols are related to astringent attributes. It is probably the combination of bitterness and astringency that causes the cough.” (COOC)

The largest determinants of olive oil flavor are variety of olive and time of harvest.

Positive aspects

Fruity

fresh tasting, like fruits or vegetables. Lively & attractive

Bitter

Usually felt on the back of the tongue and the throat.
“hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol are some of the many phenol compounds in olive oil that contribute to bitter taste, astringency, and resistance to oxidation.” (COOC)

Pepperiness

Hot sensation associated with modern oils pressed from immature olives (may even induce one to cough). Often not sensed immediately, but in the aftertaste of the oil. – “Gary Beauchamp and other chemists published a September 1, 2005 article in Nature which shows that Oleocanthol, the pungent compound in some oils which creates a stinging sensation in the throat, has similar properties to anti-inflammatory compounds such as ibuprofen.” (COOC)

Tactile sensations (e.g. throat-catching, astringent, metallic, peppery)

Simple taste sensations (sweet or bitter (don’t really have salty or sour))

More complex positive tastes (grassy [characteristic of young oils made from semimature olives], artichoke, green apple, green banana, tomato, green tea, beans, avocado, guava, cinnamon, pepper, almond [associated with oils made from fully ripe olives], toasted almond, pine nut [most oils acquire a nutty taste as they age], catty, malt, butter

Direct aroma (floral, perfumed, confectionery)

Negative sensations (rancid [result of oxidation. Put some oil in a glass for a week on a sunny windowsill to recognize this], winey/vinegary [caused by anaerobic fermentation of the olives], musty [caused by bacteria and fungi infecting badly stored olives], muddy [oil will turn putrid when the sediment left in it begins to decay], flat [caused by heating the paste during processing], dirty [oil taken from olives that have fallen to the ground], metallic [from contact with metals], grubby [a dirtiness associated with olives infested with olive-fly larvae, a common failing in badly managed groves]) (from Charles Quest-Ritson)

Exercise for the class: Associate defects in the olive oil to the factors among the 16 that causes them.

Comprehensive information on high-end, luxury tuna

2007-03-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

Tuna Species Datasheet

Quick Splendid Table article - Audio for Realplayer

Blog posting on Beyond Salmon which led me to these

Cameras on the food world

2007-03-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

The proliferation of webcams has invaded not just bedrooms and living rooms of private individuals, but now is popping up all over the food world. I had posted earlier about a camera trained on a wheel of cheese as it ages. Here's one 24 hour camera trained on a coffee roaster. Why? Who knows. I'm going to try to collect more food webcams.

Olive Oil 101.05 - History of the Olive

2007-03-05T00:15:00.000-08:00

A page on the history of the olive. More should follow.

Olive Oil 101.04 - How to taste

2007-03-04T23:52:00.000-08:00

When a customer comes into the store and tries to taste olive oil, it is not my job to tell them how they should eat their food. If they want to gulp down a bite of each oil in rapid succession, soaking just a corner of a larger piece of bread, that is perfectly fine. Zingerman's is there to give them whatever experience they most want--we're the Disneyland of artisanal flavors.

However, if a customer comes to a tasting, they want that experience; they want to learn how to most optimally taste or most optimally use a particular food. So, here's how you most optimally taste olive oil:

1. Pour a little olive oil in a brandy snifter or a really thin shotglass.
2. Hold the glass in your hand so that you can heat the oil with one hand.
3. Cover the mouth of the glass with your other hand (this is to capture all the aromas you can)
4. Start swirling the oil (this helps both to speed up the warming process and to release more aroma)
5. Just enjoy the moment and the anticipation as you take about a minute to warm the oil to the temperature of your body.
6. Bring the glass to your nose and inhale, smelling and noting the smells. Associate them to other foods and smells in your life. Enjoy the smells separately and together.
7. Drink the oil, keeping it in your mouth. Hold the oil in your mouth and experience it. Feel it. Note its mouthfeel, its texture, its tastes.
8. Most of taste is paired with your olfactory nerves, so smile widely; touch the tip of your tongue to the hard palate of your mouth so as to cause the oil to pool on both sides of your tongue; inhale sharply so as to bubble air through the oil pools; and swallow (spit first if you prefer)
9. Exhale through your nose after you swallow, so more olfactory nerves are stimulated.

Note all of the aromas and flavors. Use your own words or try to identify the flavors using a tasting wheel. The one I've linked to was developed by Richard Gawel and is called a Recognoze wheel:

Gawel explains his motivation behind undertaking the project. "Finding the right terms to describe complex foods such as olive oil is a difficult task. Known as the 'tip of the nose' phenomenon, it is very common for someone to recognize an aroma or flavor, although they are unable to find the correct term to describe it. Having access to a structured and comprehensive list of descriptors can greatly assist them in finding the right terms to accurately describe the olive oil" explains Gawel.

The use of the 'wheel' format whereby descriptive terms are listed around its perimeter, with similar aromas and tastes being adjacent to each other, was inspired by the success of the now famous Wine Aroma Wheel developed at the University of California, Davis.

The 72 terms fall into the main olive oil sensory classes of herbaceous, fruity, fragrant, spicy, nutty, dried, defects, tactile and taste. Their selection was based on how frequently experienced olive oil tasters are perceived to use them, as well as their occurrence in the olive oil tasting literature. Gawel explains that "some descriptors such as 'buttery', 'nutty' and 'grassy' are commonly used in that they define specific oil styles. Others are varietal. Examples include the 'perfumed' character of the Tuscan variety Frantoio, and the 'tomato leaf' character found in the Spanish varieties Picual and Nevadillo Blanco. Others would seem rather unusual with the 'malt' like character found in some oils made from the Italian variety, Leccino, and the 'cat wee' and 'crushed ant or formic' character found in some very ripe oils."

Olive Oil 101 page of ads to discuss

2007-03-04T23:06:00.000-08:00

Clear, intensely green, this filtered Tuscan has a fruity, well-rounded and spicy taste, reminiscent of fresh olives; aroma has hints of artichoke and pepper. Using Frantoio, Moraiolo, and Leccino olive varieties, the Frescobaldi family has produced olive oils and wines since the Middle Ages, and this oil was awarded Outstanding Olive Oil at the 2001 New York Fancy Food Show, and rated #1 Tuscan oil in 1997 by Wine Spectator.. Estate produced from the hills of Chianti Ruffina

Olive Oil 101.03

2007-03-04T21:37:00.000-08:00

It is very simple to think about olive oil. The text of a good course in olive oil could be reduced to a single page, two if you want to provide the historical perspective on olive oil. The bulk that would make up the text of a good Olive Oil 101 book would be the supplying of definitions to many of the terms used within the text. In addition, the supplying of examples would make up a good bulk as well. The basic text, though, would read as follows this paragraph. This website shall be the course syllabus. The class would include interaction with an instructor. The fee will be decided later, but I see this as a viable way to provide a service to people that is worth paying for. The class would be made even more amazing because while you were taking it, you would be eating the foods being talked about as examples. Taste would be a major component of the class.

The simplest way of understanding olive oil is to think of it as grape juice. Really. Olive oil is as close to grape juice as, say cherry juice is to grape juice. A cherry and an olive are the same type of fruit, it's called a drupe.

Wine, as obscure as it actually may be to the general population, is still something that is widely appreciated. The variations that come from different varieties of grape, lend the same characteristic differences to olive oils (whether monocultivar or blended) Blended olive oils are often blended in order to avoid the varied yearly outputs of an olive tree. But because sugar is not present in the juice of an olive, olive juice is not sweet, but savory like a vegetable juice. Thinking of it as a vegetable will help reshape your attitude toward it such that it is much easier to work with in the kitchen. on a culinary level, it should be treated like a food or like a spice or like a little bit of both; rather than a medium in which to cook other food.

All of the fourteen following factors can play a part in the taste of an olive oil:

• Variety of olive (this varies from one geographic region to another. Some varieties are known as super-cultivars and are widely used worldwide.)
• The date of the olive harvest; early when the olive isn't technically ripe or later in the season when it has reached the heights of maturity.
• the soil
• the amount of rain and sunshine the crop received, and when
• the temperature of the season
• the altitude
• the humidity of the season
• the care taken in cultivation (this is vital)
• the use of pesticide and the amount of pests that season
• the density of the trees
• the age of the trees
• the method of storage
• the age of the oil

The main components which differentiate one olive oil from another olive oil are best seen in this ad,

Gourmet Extra Virgin Olive Oil Half Liter Bottle (about 17 oz). Grown, pressed and bottled 100% in Sicily. Hand picked, cold pressed, non-genetically modified. Made from a single olive variety of "Biancolilla" from a single estate.

USE: A milder fruitness makes "Biancolilla" evoo the ideal companion for the most delicate dishes, salads and fish.

Let's separate each separate component out into a table:

Extra Virgin (note that Extra Virgin is one of a slew of other things that determine the flavor characteristics of olive juice, but it is important enough that if an oil isn't extre virgin you just shouldn't buy it. Pure olive oil can be cooked with if you want the same results as canola oil or soybean oil. But it is a cooking oil and that is where it must always be relegated if you are to preserve the vibrant taste of a dish. A heated, highly refined oil with little hint of aroma, color, or solids does not belong among the palette of taste experiences you have available to you in life.

Gourmet (as pompous as that sounds, it serves to separate this extra virgin olive oil from an olive oil that is extra virgin by greater than mechanical means)

Half Liter Bottle (this would be a good time to talk about storage)

Grown, pressed and bottled 100% in Sicily (this is where one geographic region has developed its own tradition and style behind the making of olive oil, it could be said that this is where the style of the artisan shows through)

Hand picked (this is to ensure that bruises and wounds aren't inflicted on the olives, because a damaged olive will rapidly oxidize)

cold pressed (the warmer the olive when pressed, the more oil which can be extracted from it. Yet when the olive is too hot, the cooked oil will lose much of its flavor, thus this is also a minimum requirement of good olive oil)

non-genetically modified (all of the world's oldest crops have fallen prey to our scientific instincts. Whether wheat, soybean, corn, or olive, industry has solved many problems, yet stripped away many tastes and experiences.)

single olive variety (this becomes another art of the presser, akin to the skill of the distiller of a single-malt scotch or the blender of Canadian whiskies._

"Biancolilla" (this would be a good time to taste two monocultivar olive oils from Sicily, one from Nocellara (actually Nocellara des Belize) olives and the other from Biancolilla olives.

from a single estate (which can be even more tightly restricted, specifying a region of an estate)

milder fruitness (this is when tasting the olive oil would really be vital to the experience)

companion for the most delicate dishes, salads and fish (remember olive oil is a savory vegetable, use it that way. In the same way one wouldn't slice up ginger and toss it on top of some delicate cheese that would be lost in ginger's wake, one wouldn't drizzle a robust and peppery oil onto a delicate fish. But as one might grate a bit of ginger onto a spicy, grilled Thai dish, one would drizzle that same oil onto a spicy tomato soup.)

Olive oil 101 postulate

2007-03-04T20:44:00.000-08:00

Necessary subsets of any class deemed "Olive Oil 101" must be "Oil 101" and "Olive 101"

Olive oil 101 questions

2007-03-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

Because of my four years living in a very talkative commune, I tend to overinvolve people when I seek input. This isn't a negative tendency from my perspective, but may get on other's nerves. I also have a lot of direct contact with union organizers, and really appreciate how involved they try to make everyone in order to generate a sense of ownership in a project to ensure its success. Given that, I asked for questions that my colleagues might want answered in an Olive Oil 101 class. These were their responses:

I would love to know a bit about the history.

What oils (either specific brands or specific taste profiles) work with what dishes?

I'm looking for the practical applications of different flavors.

What are the foodie terms used to describe different oils?

Are some oils better for cooking, and others for dipping or tossing pasta?

What is extra virgin oil?

How should you store olive oil?

Seriously-----is oil healthful?

What accounts for the large variation in price of oil?

Those seasoned dipping oils---what's that about?

Can we grow olives in Michigan?

Which olive oils are the best to use for every day cooking?

What is the difference between filtered and unfiltered olive oil?

Is it best to have the most recent year, for an example 2006 as to 2005? If you do have a 2005 harvest does that mean that the oilive oil is in bad condition?

Why shouldn't you store it in the refrigerator?

Does it go bad if it becomes frozen?

What makes a good olive oil?

What is the difference between the olive oils that Zingerman's carry and the ones that are found in Wholefoods?

How should you pair the best bread to the best oil?

More questions may follow as they leak in.

Olive Oil 101 class in 3 weeks

2007-03-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

The first of my teaching goals at my work is about to happen: I will be teaching an olive oil 101 class to my coworkers in three weeks. Now I have to sift through my knowledge about olive oil and make it coherent and focused toward my foodie colleagues. Because I'm basically a lazy person who would like to pour in the energy for one project and have three or four projects be produced, I'm also going to use this as the foundation for an Olive Oil 101 tasting and use this blog as the sketchboard for my thoughts. In this way I can teach three groups of people about olive oil, my coworkers, the Ann Arbor community, and anyone in the future who stumbles on this in their web surfing.

Three entries have come before this in my fledgling series of Olive Oil 101 posts: a too-wordy introduction, a note about the expansion of the olive tree, and a paragraph about drupes (olives, cherries, plums). But the next two weeks should be much more prolific.

People's Food Coop Board - throwing my hat into the race

2007-03-01T08:57:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to be careful about not biting off more than I can chew when my new baby gets here, but I've wanted to be a board member at the People's Food Coop since I left work there two years ago. This would have been impossible during the last two years because I had so much to learn at Zingerman's (I go overboard in the amount of research I do sometimes). But when Chris, the current President of the board came to me and told me I should run, I figured now was the time.

One of the submissions required for the election was a statement of candidacy limited to 350 words, here's mine:

I believe that members of the coop: want to shop at the coop and be involved with the coop more than they are; are active members because they want their money to have a positive impact on their community and on their world but realize that most of the food one buys has a dark side to it economically, ethically, and environmentally; would like employees working for them at the coop to feel PFC is a socially, progressive employer recognizing every employee's value to the coop, trying to evolve into the most democratic, consensus-oriented workplace that can exist. Our members should be proud of our coop, acknowledging that while we're not perfect, we are continually striving to be an example of what can exist when people give thought and moral pause to their economic choices beyond merely the maximum financial return on their investment.

For four years in New York City, I was an active member of Ganas, a 100+ member intentional community, that ran three recycling businesses on Staten Island. Our group spent three hours every day deciding business issues among 20 of us, building consensus on all decisions. While that depth of exploration isn't necessary here, that experience taught me how to organize people, generate consensus, respect diverse opinions, and run a business communally, all while keeping a constant eye on higher priorities. The last 15 years of my life have been devoted to my scholarly and passionate obsession with food. I worked at the coop for a year and am now the olive oil and vinegar expert and frequent tasting host at Zingerman's Deli.

I recognize the next three years, with planned expansion and choosing a new general manager, as a period of vital growth and change during which the Board must be vocal and active in creating inspiring visions of the direction the coop sails and organizing members in support. I will be tenacious, passionate, and dedicated to setting a course that we can all be proud of taking.

What would you like to taste?

2007-02-19T21:59:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I need to set up a wiki. I'd like to turn a few standards on their heads and let the audience create what it would like to taste. Since this is a food group, you might be interested if I describe my job a little bit; in itself, my job is food related.

I'm a tasting host at Zingerman's Deli. My normal role is to pick some subject, say chili peppers, put together a broad spectrum of products to taste, do a scouring of knowledge pulling together all the food resources I can muster (and I've got access to a lot, some of them being producers and growers and artisans), and then create a tasting around those products in which I talk for 90-120 minutes about that subject. I have to guess what a foodie audience would want to taste and then try to communicate the existence of the tasting to those who would be interested. Each of the tasting hosts here has his or her own style, but I can describe mine pretty succinctly: I focus on culinary knowledge about a specific ingredient, I relate that ingredient to its geographic culinary surroundings, pulling in information about the biological, mycological, culinary, chemical, and cultural elements of the ingredient, and I try to build the tasting through a series of steps that will maximize the tasting experience of the audience. I run a very active tasting, asking for opinions and ideas, I want you to create the experience as much as possible.

What I want to turn on its head is the decision making portion of coming up with the idea for a tasting. Why should I be making the decision about what you want to taste? I would enjoy poring my research into any area about food, so why not try to get the audience to voice itself.

I have access to probably the best foods that the world has to offer when it comes to cheese, olive oil, vinegar, tuna, anchovies, olives, smoked fish, salamis, salts, honeys, jams, pastries, bread, chocolate, coffee, spices, pastas, teas, cakes, pies, and sweet cookies. It's a unique access that makes the tasting experience more exciting than one might think.

So I'm asking you, and perhaps I should make this into a wiki format. I'm wondering what you would pay for. You set the price, knowing that I intend to make a profit as a business, but I'm also appreciative of your patronage so I'm certainly not going to cheat you out of what you're due. So what would you pay $20 to come taste? $10? $39

Here's a list of tastings that I'm thinking about doing, perhaps you could tell me what would interest you and how much you think it would be worth.

Would you come for a bagel and cream cheese with various jams tasting? How much would you pay for that? $5? $10? Knowing that a $10 bagel and shmear tasting is going to provide more food or more variety than a $5 bagel and schmear tasting. But for $10, I could see getting at least 2 bagels, cream cheese, butters, and 30 jams. Is it worth it?

How about a bread, butter, and honey tasting? Maybe only an hour long, but including two dozen different honeys and 12 different breads. If 30 people came to that for $20 each, I could provide quite a spread.

I could have cheese tray tasting that you vote on. You create what's on the cheese tray, based on what you would want to eat on your dream cheese tray of the world's greatest cheeses and salamis. Wouldn't it be great to go to a wedding and see that the cheese tray had everything you liked the best? I can make that happen. But what would someone pay for that? The more you were willing to pay, the more amazing I can make it, including gourmet tunas, smoked salmon, pates, etc.

How much would people pay for a foie gras tasting? How many times does one get a chance to eat foie gras? Especially while it's still legal to eat foie gras. "Poach the foie gras according to the recipe given above in Basic Information. Cool it immediately by shocking in ice water, pat dry, and marinate the liver in good Sauternes wine with a tablespoon of Cognac or brandy at least 24 hours in the refrigerator. Cut the foie gras into thick rounds, and place between sheets of freshly baked puff pastry with generous slices of brandy-sprinkled Comice or D'Anjou pears, cracked black pepper and crumbled Roquefort cheese."

Scones and jam?

Cookies, grilled brownies, and gelato?

Pies & cheese? (Tastes good together, I'll tell you that)

Coffee and chocolate?

Macaroni and cheeses, in which 20 grated cheeses are available to put on small cups of orecchiete pasta and sauce? Oooooh, or even more exciting have 8 small cups of different pastas with 20 different grated cheeses and 8 different sauces.

Let me know. s o l o m o n j @ g m a i l . c o m

how to make couscous

2007-02-18T22:42:00.001-08:00

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-couscous

The United Nations as a food resource (manual on cheese making)

2007-02-18T22:28:00.000-08:00

I need to investigate this United Nations Agricultural Division site much more. I think I've found one of the best manuals on cheese making I've seen. Also, this.

Why do bananas ripen after they are picked? Avocados, Pineapples? Ugali!

2007-02-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

What I do best is research topics, especially topics about food. That and teaching are probably the skills I enjoy using most. Writing is a skill I wish I practiced more.

So, the question came to me, why do avocados and bananas ripen after they are picked? This question led me a few directions, and I'm going to share them.

The first was to find a paper that also tossed pineapples into this group of fruit. As I searched I ran across a paper from the University of California at Davis. It revealed the biochemical workings of the banana and avocado. UCofDavis article.

Still not quite satisfied that the deeper meaning of my why had been answered I went to the source of most of my initial searches, Wikipedia.

This led me to a side-discovery of the existence of banana flour, and now my search had turned into the idea of trying to find the traditional cuisine of the geographic regions of the world that have had bananas at least for the last 200 years so that the banana would be embedded in their cuisine. (and, of course that led to a quick side run into banana juice)

I then went on a fascinating trip to Brazil, since Brazil and India are the top two producing nations of bananas in the world. I started wondering how bananas and cheese were combined. Bananas taste good in yogurt, so I would imagine some cheeses would go especially well with bananas on a cheese plate. I found a cheese called Queijo Minas in Brazil, but I found it on a page from the United Nations... I'm excited because the depth of information is substantive, and I may have found another very useful food research tool.

My last thought on this journey which is not over with this post was sparked by the discovery of ugali, which is a boiled mixture of milk whey and flour (corn flour in Kenya and Tanzania). Boiled water and flour is a method of making couscous, which made me think, "How would cheese and corn couscous be, would they combine those ingredients in cuisines with bananas or plantains in any way?" Then I drifted into wild realms of small balls of couscous surrounding a middle of cheese

Food articles and links of interest

2007-01-31T07:20:00.000-08:00

I read so many food links and articles during my day, one might think I'm mildly obsessed. One would be right.

Links of interest:

Food Trends for 2007

Harold McGee on new studies regarding the effect of light on olive oil, butter, and beer

Kitchen Chick's review of the best of her blog in 2006 (includes the Zingerman's Roadhouse Harvest Tomato Dinner!)

As much as three-quarters of the state's [California's] citrus crop withered in the field during the cold snap, but nearly every winter crop, from avocados to fresh-cut flowers, has suffered severely.

Orange Marmalade Mustard with Tuna

2007-01-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

The Mustards Tasting is over, which means that the ration of food thoughts in my life can direct more towards the blog again rather than be completely immersed in my tasting. I think the most surprising taste combination for me and one of the combinations that pleased most people at the tasting was the clementine marmalade mustard. It's a very simple combination, about half of a very good marmalade (in this case a San Giuliano Clementine Marmalade) and a good dijon mustard. That taste combination happens to transform the taste of tuna into a new realm, which makes me think it would be not only a surprising addition into a tuna salad but also could quickly be transformed into a glaze or a sauce to serve with a tuna steak.

Following is a recipe for one of the mustard desserts, a spiced chestnut cream, from The Compleat Mustard by Rosamond Man and Robin Weir, which I wouldn't copy so directly if the book didn't happen to be out of print. We didn't taste this dessert at the tasting, I just rearranged the flavors so we could appreciate the combination and I could show everyone what mustard does to chestnuts (makes them taste like chocolate). At the tasting I just pureed candied chestnuts, dijon mustard, and a dash of cocoa powder and whipped it into mascarpone to inspire the cooks at the tasting to go explore (that's part of eating fearlessly), but the original recipe is:

8 oz chestnut puree
4 oz unsalted butter
4 oz sugar
2 teaspoons cacao
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1/4 pint double cream, whipped
6 fl oz cream, chilled, to serve

Heat the puree with the butter and sugar, stirring constantly until melted. Add the cacao and mustard powder and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for 30 minutes.

Whisk in the whipped cream very thoroughly, then spoon into small bowls...and chill overnight. Serve with chilled cream handed round separately.

This could be altered in such a way as to use prepared mustard instead (I certainly would because I could then create dozens of variations on this by using different mustards). A prepared cognac mustard would do interesting flavor changes to that.

Mustards 101

2007-01-22T07:55:00.000-08:00

French Mustards and Vinaigrettes, with Solomon (that's me)
Wednesday, January 24^th, 7-9 pm
Zingerman's Deli-Next Door, $20/person
Call 734-663-3400 to reserve your spot(s)!

I'm obsessed with mustards. I've been studying them for months now, hunting down obscure books to learn more about them. Join me to learn more about mustards than you thought possible and to create/taste some incredibly intriguing and flavorful vinaigrettes.

Here's what the tasting "menu" will include...

a review of how made mustard is created
anchovy mustard
quince mustard
aioli made with avocado or artichoke, anchovy and mustard
a couple of mustard butters
orange marmalade mustard
honey mustards
vinaigrettes
a chestnut, cocoa, mustard and cream dessert
a moustarde violette, mascarpone and honey dessert

We will also use several different vehicles (i.e. apples, pears, cauliflower, broccoli, clementines, bread, salamis) to enjoy the mustards.

If all of the above seems a little strange, remember,

Eat fearlessly!

Cheese Reality TV

2007-01-21T10:54:00.000-08:00

I'm mainly a Dry Goods guru, so I don't often speak of cheese, but...

Cheese Reality TV

They say 'good things come to those who wait' – well West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers are so proud of the year it takes for their perfect-tasting cheddar to reach maturity that they have put a single cheese on a
round-the-clock webcam for the whole world to see.
From 1 January 2007 you will be able to log on to http://www.cheddarvision.tv/ and watch one of our handmade-on-the-farm West Country Farmhouse Cheddars maturing, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
The West Country Farmhouse Cheddar featured is one of just 14 UK products to
carry the prestigious Protected Designation of Origin status, ranking it alongside world famous food and drink treasures such as Champagne, Parma Ham and Cognac.
At the site you will be able to examine the delicate intricacies of the mould on our beautiful cheese as it develops and download a bespoke screensaver snapshot of the cheese for your computer.

Internet giant Google's free, gourmet global cuisine powers its workforce while offering chefs and producers a place to shine

2007-01-18T23:28:00.000-08:00

Old news, perhaps, but since Google is trickling into Ann Arbor, worth remembering.

Now Google's cooking / Internet giant's free, gourmet global cuisine powers its workforce while offering chefs and producers a place to shine:

With its dedication to providing free and largely healthful, organic and artisan-produced meals three times a day to its employees, Google may well be leading the way in corporate food-service programs in the same way it has set the bar for search engines.

By the sheer numbers of its employees -- Google is mum, but estimates put it at 4,000 and growing -- and its purchasing power, the company will likely affect the survival rate of local, small, organic farms as well as what ingredients appear in local markets and, down the line, how much agricultural land is saved from development.

Besides the impact on the local economy and food producers, Google is creating a new model for how corporate cafeterias serve their employees, both by the wide variety of offerings and the creative freedom allowed its chefs.

Pickled eggs using olive brine

2007-01-18T21:22:00.000-08:00

Well. New discoveries are just always available, aren't they?

I ran across this astounding idea (well, astounding to me, at least) while surfing. Quite simply, making pickled eggs using the leftover brine from olives. This of course makes me want to make pickled eggs from other things also: I wonder if I can find enough garum colatura? Or maybe I could use the salt that anchovies are stored in to make pickling brine for eggs.... hmmm.

(hat tip to An Obsession with Food for the link.)

I'm Mad and I Eat: CSI Petaluma:

On the right is one of my favorite discoveries, a repeat of an appetizer Cranky and I carted to a party last night (and it seemed to meet with general approval): eggs in leftover kalamata juice. You know all those jars of olives you go through, and then when the olives are gone, you just throw out the juice? Don't! It makes the most tasty, tan, tender eggs. This one is an immediate classic in the Crankycrumb household. (We'll see whether the addition this time of a clove of garlic is thumbs up or down.)

The Omnivore's Dilemma vs. Whole Foods

2007-01-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars: Whole Foods’ John Mackey to face off with Michael Pollan

This is scheduled for February 27, and I'm hoping will be captured through YouTube or something similar.

via Ethicurean

A beautiful picture of an olive oil bottle

2007-01-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

From Kitchenchick. And it just happens to be Pasolivo Nuovo. And I'm mentioned in the post, woo hoo!

What did Santa leave under your tree?

Dessert at my mustard tasting

2007-01-14T05:26:00.000-08:00

At my last tasting, I finished with a dessert that was a variation of a dessert that inspired the creation of The Compleat Mustard. In The Compleat Mustard, the dessert which inspired it was 2-3 tablespoons of a quince mostarda (another link with pictures) on top of 2-3 tablespoons of mascarpone, chilled slightly. My last tasting, as with my upcoming tasting, involved French food so an Italian mostarda was out of place, but the dessert intrigued me so that I felt I had to at least give it a nod, especially given how much I'm treasuring my new book.

Thankfully, I have a French mustard which shares that sweet, spicy, fruitiness of the fruit mostardas, and happens to be one of my favorite tastes of all time, moutarde violette. This had its start as a way to use up excess grapes at the end of wine season in Burgundy. Instead of a vinegar or verjuice being used as the base acid in a made mustard, cooked down grapes (or grape must) are used as the base, along with keeping most of the mustard seeds whole or cracked. This mustard is not nearly as sweet as an Italian mostarda, though, so moutarde violette and mascarpone by itself was more of a savory treat than a sweet... which was magically transformed with the addition of some fir tree honey.

The dessert was wonderful and will be one of the features during my tasting on the 24th, though quite probably with chestnut honey this time.

FRENCH MUSTARDS AND VINAIGRETTES TASTING
January 24th, 7-9 pm, $20
Zingerman's Deli
422 Detroit St.
Ann Arbor, MI
Call 734-663-3400 to reserve a spot

Collection of Walnut oil links

2007-01-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

In service to one of my coworkers, who was having a hard time finding information about nut oils, I went on a search for artisanal nut oil info. I'm still in the searching process, but this is what I've found so far:

La Tourangelle hazelnut oil
La Tourangelle walnut oil
What's Cooking America
Veg Paradise
SF Gate
The Epicentre
Kitty Keller Imports

2006 Best Food Blogs Award Winners

2007-01-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

Wellfed.net just released the results of its annual food blogs awards, and you can see them all here, Well Fed Blog Awards

Be careful food porn lovers (be especially careful if you don't know about food porn), this list will suck you into the depths of culinary excess. For those of you who think that's a positive, the 12-step meeting is held as a potluck on the 3rd Thursday of each month. :)

Artisanal is the enemy of artifice and complexity.

2007-01-11T00:15:00.000-08:00

That's a great sentence in an anthropologist's look at the cultural components of the artisanal movement; worthwhile reading for anyone interested in artisanal food. He identifies 10:

1. a preference for things that are human scale.
2. a preference for things that are hand made.
3. a preference for things that are relatively raw and untransformed.
4. a preference for things that are unbranded.
5. a preference for things that are personalized.
6. a preference for a new transparency
7. a preference for things that are "authentic"
8. a preference for things that have been marked by locality
9. a preference for the new connoisseurship
10. a preference for the simplified

PS - Don't expect the author of the article to kneel at the altar of artisanal.

Pasta competition, or Bronze, Teflon, and Bullets: the industrial production of pasta

2007-01-10T22:34:00.000-08:00

I ran across a spaghetti tasting article in the L.A. Times (hat tip to slashfood). They tasted 16 pastas (four of which I sell and extol the virtues of) and found one clear (unanimous) winner, one clear second-place, and then lots of narrower victories. The winner was Latini's spaghetti (not their Senatore Cappelli variety) and second place was Rustichella d'Abruzzo. From the description of the way they tasted, they showed a lot of respect for both the food and the tasting process. This led me on a quest to find some of the perfect sites to explain why the tasters would have such different experiences with spaghetti, which then led me chasing other feral geese.

I'll bet more people in the CSI-rich United States could explain to me why a bullet has markings left on it from the barrel of a gun than could explain to me why some spaghetti is rich with texture and some are smooth as teflon:

As all manufactured items have inevitable variations, it is often possible for a forensic firearms examiner to match a bullet or cartridge case to a particular firearm based on these variations. Most often these are due to marks left by a machining process, which can leave shallow impressions in the metal which are rarely completely polished out. Wear due to use will also cause each firearm to aqcuire distinct characteristics over time, though this same process will also alter the "fingerprint" of the firearm.

These same variations in the manufacturing process of bronze dies used to make pasta, and the fact that bronze is never perfectly smooth, leave marks on pasta dough as it is pushed through a die. Bronze dies wear over time and slow the process down, so teflon dies have been replacing bronze for most industrial pasta makers. Teflon dies leave pasta very smooth, however; the pasta won't pick up as much sauce and be a conduit for as much flavor.

My quest for information on dies led me to gold:

The most complete website on the industrial production of pasta I've ever seen (woo hoo!)

A site on industrial production which is more concise but unfortunately falls into the mistaken belief that "the total drying time can take from six to 24 hours depending on the drying technology used"--but it also lists production methods for lots of foods, so I want to remember it as a starting point for other searches I might have.

And, of course, Zingerman's "Pasta: Everything you wanted to know and some things you didn't"

Go explore.

WORLDBLU List of Most Democratic Workplaces ™ 2007

2007-01-10T20:14:00.000-08:00

I do love my workplace. I just received this email saying my workplace "has been asked to participate in a search for the most democratic workplaces conducted by a company called WorldBlu. It is a great honor to be invited, because it shows that as a company we are highly regarded for our democratic work practices."

If others fill out the 10 page survey the way I did (and feel), we'll be high up in the rankings.

The WorldBlu website has this info sheet on it's site:

THE SEARCH: NOVEMBER 1, 2006 - FEBRUARY 16, 2007
The WorldBlu Search for the Most Democratic Workplaces™ is a global search happening from November 1, 2006 until February 16, 2007 to identify organizations in the for-profit, non-profit or government sectors practicing organizational democracy.

THE WORLDBLU LIST OF MOST DEMOCRATIC WORKPLACES™ 2007
On March 6, 2007, WorldBlu will announce the first annual WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces™ as a part of the first Democracy in the Workplace Day. The WorldBlu List will be the result of WorldBlu's global search for organizations practicing democracy in the workplace. The WorldBlu List will be comprised of organizations that took the WorldBlu Democratic Workplace Scorecard™ and scored in the top level, identifying them as one of the most democratic workplaces in the world.

A GROWING GLOBAL MOVEMENT
We believe there's a growing global movement towards creating workplaces that fully engage employees, giving them a voice and a stake in the outcome of their work. And we believe great value -- as well as a community -- will emerge from shining a spotlight on organizations choosing freedom rather than fear, peer-to-peer relationships rather than paternalistic platitudes, and engagement rather than estrangement as their way of getting work done.

DEMOCRACY IN THE WORKPLACE DAY
Because of this growing global movement, we invite you to join us in celebrating March 6th as Democracy in the Workplace Day. Our hope is that people and organizations around the world will join us in celebrating both the presence and possibility of democracy at work on this special day.

RECOGNIZING THE MAVERICKS, INSPIRING OTHERS
The inspiration for the WorldBlu Search has come from democratic organizations themselves. Over the past ten years as Traci Fenton, WorldBlu Founder and CEO, has toured the world researching organizations that operate using democratic principles, she has seen many highly successful and profitable -- yet often unnoticed -- examples of democracy in the workplace. These organizations are defying convention, rewriting the rules of business and pioneering the next generation of organizational design and leadership in the process. The WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces™ seeks to recognize these mavericks and inspire others in the process.

World Olive Oil Statistics

2007-01-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

The universities in California are a rich source of information about olives and olive oil. I just discovered a Powerpoint presentation that includes production statistics, trends, consumption statistics, photographs of industrial mills, etc., separated out by country and in sum. I've found this type of presentation in a few horticulture course material online, but this one is rather rich with information.

I think I might hit a new motherlode if I went and explored universities in Italy, Provence, New Zealand, etc.... Of course, I'm limited to a large degree by only knowing English.

PDF of World Olive Oil Statistics

10 Best Cookbooks

2007-01-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

One of the benefits of moving my food links from my browser to this web page is running across something I saved but haven't looked at in a while. My fear when I see old links like that is that someday they might disappear from the net and I'll have forgotten about them. So, I'll write this down here:

Clarissa Dickson-Wright's 10 Best Cookbooks:

First Catch your Hare by Hannah Glasse
A New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison
Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book
The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden
The Classic Food of Northern Italy by Anne Del Conte
English Bread and Yeast Cookery by Elizabeth David
The Accomplisht Cook by Robert May
The Rice Book by Sri Owen
The Compleat Mustard Rosamond Man and Robin Weir

PS - I never want to forget this list because I found one of my favorite food books from this list, entry #10. [UPDATE: My wife pointed out to me that she was the one who found the book for me. Obrigado.] I'm a mustard freak, fascinated by almost all culinary and chemical aspects of the amazing seeds of this plant. But when I finally tracked this book down, it was better than I could have imagined; it was, in fact, one of the best food books I've read.

As some shameless self-promotion, I will be having a French Mustards and Vinaigrettes tasting on January 24th from 7-9pm in Ann Arbor. The cost is $20. Come taste some mustards (we'll have a mustard dessert!), let me fill your head with fun info, and share my passion with you. Call 734-663-3400 to register for it.

Postscript to Chicago's foie gras ban

2007-01-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

The recent ban on foie gras in Chicago brought this response from chefs and health inspectors:

Chicago health inspectors paid a surprise visit to a previously warned River North restaurant last week to catch it in the act of selling foie gras -- only to find that the banned liver delicacy was being given away.
Bin 36, 333 N. Dearborn, managed to avoid a $250 ticket by offering foie gras “as a complimentary sidebar to another dish on the menu. . . . The menu made it clear that they were giving it away as part of a larger offering,” said Health Department spokesman Tim Hadac.

“We turned around and came back. . . . The ordinance prohibits the sale of foie gras. It does not address giving it away. That would be up to the framers of the law [to close the loophole],” Hadac said Tuesday.

Ald. Joe Moore (49th) is chief sponsor of the foie gras ban that Mayor Daley calls the “silliest law” Chicago aldermen have ever passed.

Foie Gras and me

2007-01-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

I doubt that you would believe how much I've read about foie gras in the last few years of my life, but let me just say that it was a whole lot. For those interested and to cut to the chase, this is about the best article I've ever seen on the matter: Stuffed Animals by Jeffrey Steingarten

The longer version of this post is more biographical:

PART I - SALES

At my job, I am at core a salesperson. It is my job to sell you food (it even says so in my job title). I must admit that I enjoy selling but that throughout my life I have had an ambivalent relationship to sales. One of the key reasons for this is that my sales career started in newspaper advertising: for about five years it was my job to make whatever product was put before me seem as attractive as possible, eliminating all reference to its flaws, accentuating all reference to its strengths, as well as sell more advertising to clients. My ambivalence stemmed from the pull of how good I was at selling things versus the annoying fact that many times I didn't really believe strongly in the product and thus couldn't really say what I thought and keep my job or my clients. That ambivalence pushed me out of advertising (and, I thought, out of sales completely).

After reexamining my life goals, I realized that what I wanted to devote my time to was bringing more pleasure to people especially during their leisure time. After a circuitous route of jobs that met that description, I now find myself back in a true sales position again, yet this time I'm selling only products I strongly believe in. That just happens because the choice of product for the company I work for happens to coincide with my own personal beliefs in food--if it didn't I wouldn't have begun working there.

PART II - FOOD

For about ten years I was a vegetarian. For about three of those I was a vegan. The whys and wherefores of that really aren't all that interesting and went through lots of evolution, but all stemmed from my own ethical ambivalence about the origins of my food. But because of my interest in the origins of my food and my misguided belief that there were black and white answers about what one should and should not ethically eat, I've devoted about fifteen years of my life to amateur academic research about food. A side benefit of that along the way was discovering how passionately I loved the subject and that just learning about it filled me with pleasure.

I eat meat now, but rarely, and really only to taste it, to experience a cuisine, to appreciate a style of preparation, to understand the quality; not for steady nourishment. But I do endorse, praise, and advocate for the meat sold at my employer.

And we sell foie gras.

PART III - SELLING FOOD

PETA sells food. Animal rights activists sell food. They sell the negative aspects of one type and the positive aspects of another. In no case has this seemed so slanted to me than the case of foie gras.

I don't inherently dislike being persuaded. In fact, I rather like being persuaded if that persuasion is accomplished by introducing me to sides of an issue that I haven't thought about or considered or experienced. However, I do tend to react in violent backstep when I feel that someone is only presenting me with one side of an issue while pointedly avoiding acknowledging any truth to the opposing side. In other words, when I feel that I'm having done to me what I used to do to people when I worked in advertising sales.

That's why I like the article above, Stuffed Animals by Jeffrey Steingarten. It's difficult to find rational discussion about foie gras that doesn't dismiss all concerns of one side, but this article is. One paragraph that spoke to my feelings about food most was this:

Most of us are not vegans or vegetarians. When we buy the flesh of a mammal, bird, or fish in a restaurant or food shop, we are an agent in the slaughter of another living thing. We are taking life. This is a serious act, not a casual one. But our purpose is not survival or even sustenance; most of us can live comfortably without eating meat. No, our goal is pleasure, pure sensory pleasure. We chew on the succulent muscle of a steer, crunch through the crackling skin of a pig or turkey, suck out the marrow from the shin of a calf. If we are willing to kill for our pleasure, shouldn't we also be willing to force-feed ducks for our pleasure? It all depends on how much pain and distress we cause.

And then he explores pain and distress in gavage.

What I have found fascinating in all of my research about food is the finding that the less pain and less stress one causes an animal, the better that animal's flesh will taste, almost without fail [which is in remarkable contrast to the best tasting produce]. Because of that, since I work in a store that tries to sell nothing but the best tasting food, very little ethical conflict occurs.

Link list

2007-01-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

The next few days will be spent trying to put all of the various food links I have in my browser at home onto the link list on this blog's sidebar. Having all of the links on my browser is helpful to me, but seems like it would be useful to my coworkers and readers of this site as well since researching food is my love and I have quite a few sites that I adore.

The day's collection

2007-01-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

This was the fruit of our labor. :)

We picked more than the group of first graders that had toured and picked the day before, but less than an experienced set of pickers. (The ranch foreman had to send a set of pickers in after we left to really clear the trees.)

Buried in the tree

2007-01-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

This is one of my fellow pickers wearing the bucket while pushing herself as far into the branches as she can to get her olives.