What To Know About Olive Oil: An Interview with Charlotte Muia, Extra virgin olive oil expert, producer, grower, cook, and owner, with her husband Carl, of Fattoria Muia in Carmel Valley, CA.
As a cook, oils are important and knowing how to determine better from worse is important. When it comes to the king of oils, EVOO, a bit more knowledge goes a long way. Charlotte was kind enough to share her knowledge with me and share some photos of what really happens to put romance in a bottle.
I think there is a lot of confusion about just what is the process for producing EVOO. I’ve read that it can be a mash of pulp on rattan mats and pressed very hard and/or spun to utilize centrifugal force. How do you process olives for EVOO?
Rattan mats are impossible to clean and if reused can make the mash taste rancid. The cleaner, more sanitized way is with stainless mills. We use the Pieralisi system that self cleans partway thru the process. It washes the olives, mashes them into a pulp, slowly releases the oil, spins out the natural water and we have beautiful golden green oil.
Is there a point where you stop extracting for the result is no longer oil?
A good closed system is timed for that. The room should be warm for better extraction. Over extracting adds oxygen, is damaging, and ages the oil.
Does the oil from that first press require any attention vis-à-vis straining or clarifying in some way?
We let ours rest for a month (and so do we). Then filter it through pharmaceutical sterilized cotton.
I have some knowledge about wine making. I know that from year to year the exact same vines may produce vastly different yields and flavors. Do olives resemble grapes in this way, the harvest from the same vine year to year is different or do olive have a more consistent production?
Olives are more consistent, however the acid, polyphenols, peroxide numbers may change. But if the fruit and processing is respected, then no defects should happen so EVOO is guaranteed. Our numbers go a bit up and down but since it’s always been EVOO the taste is great.
You mentioned to me you and your husband are tasters. With such a wide range of flavors to detect and various profiles, what do you taste for? That is, do you have an expectation based on the kind of olive used, or is tasting assessing a different thing?
First floral, a grassy green fresh balance, a nice pepper finish or for buttery, floral and some grassy green but little to no pepper finish. A really strong, harsh pepper finish is too much and leaves may be added for a Tuscan taste for Americans. It’s totally unbalanced.
The Spanish Picual olive has a distinct taste. Arbequinas are softer. All olives can make great oil and all olives can make great table olives. The varieties used for oil are because they have a bit more oil in them. If you have 100 trees, it may not matter. But if you have thousands, it does for max production. The taste between olives isn’t as distinctly different as white wine to red. They’re all grapes but are more distinct in variety. I have tasted artichoke, green apple, etc. Also the palate doesn’t tire when tasting oil which is different than wines.
Even though I’ve been in food for years, reading Larry Olmsted’s book Real Food/Fake Food was a very big eye-opener. I learned from him about the CA olive oil commission. I like that it is a voluntary organization setting standards for quality. What can you share about your experience with that organization and in the absence of visible logos, how can consumers know they are buying quality olive oil at the market? [The link to Real Food/Fake Food will also show the symbol for COOC as well as have a short discussion about EVOO.]
The COOC has been a major force for growers and the public. They adopted the same standards as the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) which are the highest out there. They are proactive in helping growers/producers, finding amazing tasters for judging and programs for teaching. They can test your oil and give a seal of approval if it passes their high standards. Carl and I are not super tasters but still can judge if an oil is good or not.
Olmsted does a good job of shedding the light of fear on just what can happen to olive oil (and so many other foods). Instead of scaring people, what good things are you seeing in CA both in OO and in food in general?
The very first thing to do when buying is to look for a harvest date. Olive oil has a shelf life of 2 years. When home, open the bottle and seriously stick your nose in the opening for a good sniff. If it’s fresh grassy green then you’re basically good to go. These 2 things are important. If the oil smells off, it’s most likely rancid. Take it back for a refund, the store will probably not know what rancid is. I have found that when people tell me they don’t like extra Virgin oil, it’s because they’ve only tasted rancid. Olmsted knows what he’s talking about. There is a lot of abuse in foods. The U.S. doesn’t belong to the IOOC so inspection is almost nil. My trees are certified which guarantees the oil in the bottle is from my trees only.
Have you suffered from the fires? Do you know what struggles those who have face to get back to producing their products?
From the Soberanes fires 2 years ago we thought we’d have smokey olives but it didn’t happen. The vineyards are another thing and especially this last fall. Horrible beyond belief! California has really suffered.
Time and money. A lot are being helped by other wine growers that weren’t affected. It’ll be a few years at least.
Let’s forget sell by dates and best by dates on bottles. Assuming the worst, there is no way to know how long that oil sat somewhere before it was bottled. Instead, let’s talk small producer, like you. What is important to know about the age of the oil before it is bottled and how long will it last?
The olives should be processed within 24 hours and preferably within eight hours. If it’s hot, gnats get in, the olives can start fermenting (winey taste defect), or worse. I’ve seen huge piles sitting in hot sun for a week and black oil running out! This disaster will never be EVOO so is “rectified” (nasty taste removed) and reflavored to become “Olive Oil” or laughingly “Pure Olive Oil” or Pomace. This can also come from the 2nd press where the defect isn’t as severe and rectified. The 3rd press is rectified into pomace that has EVOO added and sold to the U.S. in pretty cans. The Europeans use it for candles, skin care, engines. So, yes we are a dumping ground. The very best EVOO has a shelf life of 2 years so if you don’t use a lot, buy small and when it’s gone get another small fresh one.
What are the proper storage conditions to ensure we get the most out of our oil and hurt it the least?
Somewhere cool, out of sunlight. Like wine, it’s enemies are heat and light. Put it in a lunch bag if your kitchen is really bright and keep it away from the stove or the cupboard over it.
Can you talk about what is happening to the oil as it ages and is any part of that process something we would prefer to avoid if we knew about it?
EVOO is a living food so decomposes with age, like an apple siting on a shelf for 2 years. With oil, the nutrients disappear as does the taste. At 2 years it is good for sautéed foods, starting a spaghetti sauce, etc. It is no longer a finishing condiment but it certainly won’t kill you either. I use it on popcorn, fried eggs, that sort of thing. Or add oregano, red pepper flakes, etc. and use it for bread dipping (like a restaurant). The spices will flavor it beautifully.
What are some of your favorite dishes to make with EVOO which might not seem intuitive? That is, salad dressing or sautéing with it are rather obvious. What do you like to make which is unusual?
Roasted vegetables, salmon, a finish on soups, on baked potato, steaks, finish on red pasta sauces.
I have an olive oil cake I do but with a buttery olive oil. Halve artichokes, clean out choke, cut prickles off leaves, rub with oil sprinkle with garlic, S&F, cover & bake 1 hour at 350. Use a buttery olive oil for white fish. Use in Middle East salads. Eggplant bake is great. Salmon with my chipotle mustard & a little soy sauce w/ sesame oil. So good.
What would you like me to know about olive oil that hasn’t been asked?
Public knowledge is important and don’t be afraid but go forth with your nose and have an adventure!
How can people reach you.
