| Expert here! You can totally inspect your olive oil yourself. First a primer:
Extra virgin olive oil is the highest grade. This is unregulated and mostly nonexistent in most US grocery shelves. Here's the criteria I recommend: - Source. Most Italian olive oil is repackaged Tunisian, Turkish, Spanish olive oil. Which isn't a bad thing but consider why they're not consuming it themselves (Italy and Greece do not produce enough to meet domestic demand). You'll see this by abbrvs like Source: "TN SP TK" (Tunisia, Spain, Turkey).
Look for single source oils. Consider Californian oil (if in the US).
A country does not produce better olive oil than another, it's all up to individual producers. Some of the best oils I've had are from Australia, California, Chile - Smell! Does it smell like wax/waxy crayons/Crayola? It's probably a bit rancid/old. Not necessarily bad for you but lacks the health benefits (it's not extra virgin at this point if it ever was). It should smell fruity/grassy/green.
- Taste: It should be bitter, fresh, and tickle your throat (that's the antioxidants!). It shouldn't leave your mouth feeling greasy. - Harvest date: Oil degrades quickly. If there isn't a harvest date, it's probably not great. Should be harvested within the last 2 years, ideally within 1 year. Extra virgin has the maximum taste and health benefits. Most grocery store oils are simply olive oil - not the highest grade but still significantly better than seed/nut oils. Source: I'm an olive oil somm |