Extra virginity
For millennia, fresh olive oil has been one of life's necessities, not just as food but also as medicine, a beauty aid, and a vital element of religious ritual. Today's researchers are continuing to confirm the remarkable, life giving properties of true extra-virgin, and "extra-virgin Italian" has become the highest standard of quality. But what if this symbol of purity has become deeply corrupt? Starting with an explosive article in The New Yorker, the author has become the world's expert on olive oil and olive oil fraud, a story of globalization, deception, and crime in the food industry from ancient times to the present, and a powerful indictment of today's lax protections against fake and even toxic food products in the United States. It is also an account of the artisanal producers, chemical analysts, chefs, and food activists who are defending the extraordinary oils that truly deserve the name "extra-virgin."
Stats for nerds
3recommend
5mentions
4people
2016–2024years
60% recommend40% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- There's a great book about the history of olive oil which devotes a whole chapter to modern olive oil fraud, enabled in part by regulatory capture of labelling legislation by the olive oil industry.
"Extra Virginity - The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil" by Tom Mueller
- > contained peanuts and not sawdust.
It is incredible (in the strict sense: hard to believe) to discover that many foods are "fake", or contain things that are not supposed to be there.
I suggest a few readings:
0) the book "Real Food / Fake Food" [0]. This is just amazing. Highly recommend it.
1) the book "extra virginity" [1]
2) article about "truffle fraud" [2]
3) article about "fish fraud" [3]
The list could be almost infinite, of course.
[0]: https://www.amazon.com/Real-Food-Fake-Youre-Eating/dp/161620...
[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Virginity-Sublime-Scandalous-Wo...
[2]: https://www.eater.com/2019/5/28/18638762/truffle-fraud-fake-...
[3]: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/15/revealed...
- It really matters HOW an oil is produced.
"Good" olive oil enjoys a really healthy process, as opposed to most "new" oils available commercially only in recent years.
However, there is a lot of "fake" or altered olive oil in circulation. Be well aware of this. [0] [1]
[0]: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2016/02/10/the...
[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Virginity-Sublime-Scandalous-Wo...
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