OLIVE OILS AND HEALTH 74 4.2. The best chef, the olive oil user EVOO is habitually used in the kitchen, mainly as a raw ingredient where its healthy and organoleptic properties (fruity, bitter, and spicy) are better preserved. In fact, the best way to taste an EVOO is to simply pour it directly onto a piece of bread. EVOO should be also used in recipes involving direct heat (stir fry, sauté, stew, emulsification, frying, etc.). Among all the vegetable fats (sunflower, soya, rapeseed, palm, coconut, margarine) it is the most stable and undergoes the least degradation when submitted to high temperatures (Figure 4.3). Figure 4.3. “Dig a little hole into a warm piece of bread and pour olive oil into it” Photography: Francisco Lorenzo Tapia. Olive oil, probably the most docile and versatile food of the Mediterranean kitchen, is a culinary wildcard. Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio wrote the following about this Golden Liquid: “Olive oil knows how to bring together the quality of things without antagonising them. With cold food it is cold, with hot it is warm, with wet is it is wet, and with dry it is dry; it fits with everything”. Possibly the best historical definition of its versatility. In the XXI century, new cuisines wisely combine traditional cooking with the search for novel textures, aromas, and flavours. The secret is to apply the proper technique to each type of food in order to preserve its healthy and organoleptic qualities. Within this context, EVOO connects odours and flavours and creates new textures. Moreover, it invites healthy food consumption of products such as fish, vegetables, pulses, and fruit by making them tastier and more digestible. The first ingredient in the frying pan and, sometimes the last in the dish, it distributes warmth to the other foods. Olive oil is the backbone of the Mediterranean diet, recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
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