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What affects taste...
Like wine olive oils have differing tastes which can depend on the variety of olives used, the conditions in which they were grown in, or how they were processed into oil. As the olive ripens on the tree it converts organic acids and sugars into oil, and depending how ripe it is when it is picked will affect the taste. Temperature, levels of water available and soil type impart thier own characteristics on the resulting oil. Turning the olive fruit into oil is a crucial part of the process, and the best extra virgin oil is cold pressed to prevent heat affecting the taste.
How olives taste...
Also like in wine-tasting a language has been developed to help describe the characteristics of a particular olive oil.
Almond - A distinctive aftertaste associated with sweet oils that have a flat odour.
Apple - A flavour of the oil that is reminiscent of this fruit.
Bitter - A taste from green olives or those turning colour that can be more or less pleasant depending on the intensity.
Brine - Taste of oil extracted from olives which have been preserved in saline solution.
Cucumber - Flavour produced when oil is hermetically packed for too long, particularly in tin containers.
Earthy - Characteristic of oil obtained from olives that have been collected with earth or mud on them and not washed, sometimes accompanied with a musty-humid odour.
Esparto - Characteristic of oil obtained from olives pressed in new esparto mats which can differ depending on the type of mat.
Flat or smooth - Olive oil whose characteristics are weak owing to the loss of their aromatic components.
Fruity - Reminiscent of the odour and taste of fresh fruit picked at its optimum stage of ripeness.
Grass - A taste that is reminiscent of recently mown grass.
Green leaves, bitter - Flavour of oil from very green olives or olives that have been crushed with leaves and twigs.
Harsh - Sensation of certain oils that seem to taste sharp or biting.
Hay - Flavour of certain oils reminiscent of dried grass.
Heated or burnt - Flavour caused by excessive heating during processing.
Metallic - Characteristic of oils that have spent too long in unsuitable conditions in contact with metallic surfaces during processing or storage.
Mustiness/humidity - Flavour of oils obtained from fruit in which large numbers of fungi and yeast have developed as a result of olives being stored in piles for several days.
Old - Oil that has been kept too long in storage containers.
Rancid – This is the flavour common to all oils and fats that have undergone a process of oxidation caused by being in contact with the air too long.
Ripely fruity – Oil from a ripe fruit that has a flat odour and sweet taste.
Rough - Causing a thick pasty sensation in the mouth.
Sweet - Pleasant taste that is not exactly sugary but is where the bitter astringent and pungent attributes do not predominate.
Winey/vinegary - Flavour of certain oils due to the formation of acetic acid, ethyl acetate and ethanol in larger amounts than is usual in the aroma of olive oil.
Green olives straight from the tree are inedible unless they are treated to remove the bitter glucosides. Commercially this is often done by immersing the olives in a soda solution, and then washing them in clean water after which they are packed in brine, but for centuries smaller scale growers have prepared their own olives by simply washing them every day for about ten days in fresh water and then immersing them in brine and this is just how we do things at Fylde Fields.
What goes well with olives...
Olives and olive oil are very versatile and can be used in virtually every type of dish in one way or another. More often than not olives are associated with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes as this is where most people will have first encountered them, either in a Greek salad, on a pizza or in a tagine. But these days the only limitation is your imagination and you might as easily find olive oil in a dessert as a starter or main course. You will find them served with fish, chicken, red meat, vegetables, pasta or rice. Like everything else, it is a matter of taste, and we recommend you experiment until you find what way you like them – and then let us know.
Tastings at Fylde Fields...
And Fylde Fields we believe the proof is in the tasting and as such we encourage all of our customers to try our oils before buying as we are confident they are that good. At the regular markets that we attend we have a selection of tasters of our products for you to sample (see our ‘at a glance’ calendar to see where we will be next).
If you wish to come and visit us at the olive grove we can show you around, put on demonstrations and tell you all about our products while you sample them at our shop.
We can also come to you for those special events and set up a table of our products.
...for more information on tastings contact us.
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