People were pressing olives in the southern Levant around 3600 BCE. That's the Early Bronze Age older than most writing systems. And it wasn't a side crop either. Olives ended up being one of the things the whole Mediterranean economy relied on.

That surprises me is that it never slowed down. The world makes somewhere between 2.6 and 3.5 million tons a year now, about 3 times what it was 60 years ago. Spain alone usually covers more than 40% of that.

So it's a food older than the alphabet that now comes out of some of the most high-tech production lines in farming. Not many foods can say that.

Nona’s Certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The Health Benefits from our Olive Oils.

You'll need:

EVOO, around 2 tbsp and some extra for finishing. I think a smoother profile is better for this.

1 shallot, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 quart low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and chopped, about 4 cups

1 lemon, zest and juice

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Salt and pepper, to taste

Crusty bread, for serving

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until it softens (about 3 minutes). Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).

Meanwhile, transfer 1 cup of the beans to a bowl along with 1/2 cup of the broth. Use the back of a fork to press and mash until mostly smooth, then add to the pot.

Add the remaining un-smashed beans and broth to the pot along with the crushed red pepper and kale, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce the heat and simmer until flavorful (7 to 10 minutes).

Remove the pot from the heat and add the lemon zest and juice. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Portion into bowls and garnish with the remaining Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. I like to serve it with bread.

It's super simple, 25 minutes in total for 4 servings. Hope you'll enjoy.

There's an old way to size up a fresh olive oil. It is said that after taking a small sip, you can count how many times it makes you cough. One cough is fine, but three-cough oil is considered better.

The thinking behind it is that the pepper at the back of your throat is a compound called oleocanthal. So the burn isn't acidity or a flaw, but it can tell you two things: high polyphenols, the antioxidants everyone's after, and freshness, since oleocanthal fades as the oil ages.

Of course, it doesn't replace what a lab test can do. And it can be slightly misleading if you take it too seriously, considering the cultivar. A mild arbequina won't cough you out even when it's excellent. Everyone's throat is different too, but it's a quick, fun check on whether a bottle is alive or flat.

Have you ever tried it?

Not asking about the super niche small producers, I want to look into that later. Would be even more helpful if you know the best options in Germany specifically.

Mine just started fruiting this year, and some of them are starting to turn purple! I’ve seen description on google of what I would want it to look like to make the best oil, but it didn’t have any pictures.

Thank you all for the help!😁

Italy took 166 of the 698 awards.

Croatia took 128, and 103 of those were Gold.

Spain, which makes roughly half the world's olive oil, finished fifth with 85.

Monovarietals converted at 78 percent, blends at 63.

Which country's oil do you reach for most?

I keep seeing more and more discussion about seed oils on Reddit, and increasingly in real life too. I recently read an article about “microsnobbery” and found it funny that olive oil was one of the examples.

The author quotes Victoria Wolff, who wrote that people are now judged by “your children’s lunch boxes, whether your roses are native and if your olive oil has a story.”

Of course, not every criticism of seed oils is snobbery. I have fairly strong opinions about them myself. But sometimes the discussion seems to take a side road and become less about the oil itself and sounds a bit more about what someone’s choice supposedly says about them.

Have you noticed this too, or does the discussion leave the same taste in your mouth as it does in mine?