[towergratis]

Raised in Greece. Olive oil is used exclusively in home cooking, with the only exception of frying, in which case sunflower seed oil is used.

To give you an idea, usually Greeks don't buy olive oil in bottles. They buy it in 5lt to 17lt containers

I believe the situation is similar in Italy too. At least southern Italy

[pqs]

Spaniard here. This is the exact situation in Mediterranean Spain, at least. At home, we only have olive oil, which we buy in 5L bottles.

[UncleOxidant]

Is some of that olive oil adulterated with other cheaper oils like sunflower oil? This is the thesis of the book Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil

[bumbada]

Spaniards or Italians take Olive oil seriously, just like in China you could clone or adulterate anything but tea, silk or porcelain.

If you fake phones or handbags or sunglasses nobody cares. It is forbidden but authorities turn a blind eye. If you fake tea in China, you get executed. Period.

The most important thing is that people know and a big industry behind. It is easy to trick Americans, but I know people that could clearly differentiate between different varieties like arbequina or picual and even the year and the place it comes from.

[cheese_goddess]

Sorry to disappoint you but olive oil adulteration is common and big business:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil#Adulteration

> There have been allegations, particularly in Italy and Spain, that regulation can be sometimes lax and corrupt.[90] Major shippers are claimed to routinely adulterate olive oil so that only about 40% of olive oil sold as "extra virgin" in Italy actually meets the specification.[91] In some cases, colza oil (extracted from rapeseed) with added color and flavor has been labeled and sold as olive oil.[92] This extensive fraud prompted the Italian government to mandate a new labeling law in 2007 for companies selling olive oil, under which every bottle of Italian olive oil would have to declare the farm and press on which it was produced, as well as display a precise breakdown of the oils used, for blended oils.[93] In February 2008, however, EU officials took issue with the new law, stating that under EU rules such labeling should be voluntary rather than compulsory.[92] Under EU rules, olive oil may be sold as Italian even if it only contains a small amount of Italian oil.[93]

Also see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil_regulation_and_adult...

[contingencies]

... in China ...

{{citation-needed}}

[towergratis]

No self-respecting Greek mom buys anything else other than Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

If it does get adulterated illegally, I don't know. But haven't heard of any scandal like that.