Please note that this Olive Oil Basics Blog is part 2 of a 3-part series.
A 4-Step Process
In the Mediterranean countries of the world, October, November, and December are very busy months for olive oil production. This is because the olives are mature and their oil needs to be squeezed and preserved for use in the upcoming year.
The olive oil production process includes 4 standard steps:
- grinding the olives with pits and skins on
- pressing out the oil while discarding the ground-up pits and skin
- separating the oil from water content of the olive paste
- packaging the oil for storage or for sale
Grinding the Olives
There are many types of olives grown for oil production and this article will give you some background. After olives are shaken loose from their trees, they are collected and ground up into a thick paste. Historically, the grinding was done with a stone such as the one in the picture above. Nowadays, there are very large and very small producers. Some unique, small olive oil estates still adhere to the old way of grinding. When I visited the Biolea Organic Olive Oil Farm and Processing Facility in western Crete, I was happy to learn they use the traditional method with large grinding stones. In fact, they use the traditional method throughout their production, yet in a modern and fully sanitary facility. This video show how olives are harvested, ground up and further processed at Biolea.
Pressing out the Olive Oil
The actual pressing of olives into oil happens within a stack of thick, round filters that catch the olive pits and skins generated in grinding and allow the oil to drip into a container at the bottom. The fragments of pits and skins are then discarded while the oil is saved. The ‘cold pressing’ of olives means there is careful monitoring of the heat generated in the filter stack so that it does not exceed 80 degrees F. (27 degrees Centigrade.) This greatly preserves the healthful antioxidants found in the olives and their oil.
Separating the Olive Oil from Water
Since olives are fruits, there is natural water content in them. In fact, depending on the olive variety, there may be ____ to ____ water content. When pressed, the small amount of water mixes with the oil and eventually the two separate. Producers who favor more traditional methods may allow the separation by gravity alone. Larger producers ___________.
Packaging the Olive Oil
Much like wine, there are a wide variety of containers used with olive oil. There are all shapes and sizes of glass bottles, clear glass, dark glass, and stainless steel containers. To preserve the taste quality and healthful antioxidants, a dark-colored, glass bottle is considered best. Glass is heavy for shipping olive oil around the world, so the lighter stainless steel bottles are also widely in use.
Olive Oil is at the Center of Mediterranean Nutrition
A central food of the Mediterranean style kitchen is extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about eating nutritiously in the Mediterranean Style day-by-day, grab your free Mediterranean Menus report!
Do you have an interest in seeing olive oil produced from olives and, if yes, why?