General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Those who buy Extra Virgin Olive oil might want to read this. I for one am shocked. [View all]Warpy
(111,255 posts)from wherever they can be grown. They also import the oil, meaning a lot of those words on the label mean nothing.
"Virgin" applies to the first pressing of the olives. In modern terms, that means rolling, pressing, or centrifuging at high speed to get every bit of natural oil out of the fruit. "Extra Virgin" is utterly meaningless, it's all the same process.
"Cold pressed" is equally meaningless, since "cold" is a relative term that differs within every pressing plant all over the Mediterranean; even within Italy, itself.
The stuff to avoid like the plague it is is the light colored, flavorless "olive oil" without "virgin" on the label. That indicates the oil has been extracted chemically from the rubbish left over from the first pressing. While the original fruit might have been an olive, this oil bears no resemblance to the real thing.
Unless you know a little old man with his own olive grove and hand cranked press somewhere in Sicily or Spain, the best thing to do is stick with big brands like Bertolli, who at least test the stuff to make sure it came from olives instead of altered furniture wax, and stick with one you like the taste of. Real olive oil costs, but the really fancy stuff with the astronomical price tag is no different from that bottle of Bertolli or Colavita, you're just paying for a different bottle and picture of happy peasants with trays of fresh olives.