How Olive Oil Is Made: Olive oil is pressed at a frantoio. Most oil you buy in a store is commercially processed. To really experience what olive oil tastes like, you have to go to a real Tuscan frantoio; they're located all over the region and only operate from mid-October until the beginning of December. Most frantoio are cooperatives run collectively by local growers, while others have remained in families for generations. They use a mix of traditional and modern methods for making oil. Granite stones are used to crush the oil into paste, while modern machines are used to press and filter the oil.
Types of Oil: Oil pressed here is called "first press extra virgin olive oil," and because traditional methods are used to extract the oil without heat, the term "cold pressed" may also be used. Tuscan oil is particularly spicy as it is pressed very early in the season. In Spain olives are pressed in November; in France, a different variety of olives is used, and because the olives are often pressed as late as December, the oil has a milder taste.
A few things to note about the frantoio
- A frantoio is a festive place: When growers bring their olives to be pressed — and to sample the first taste of oil — it is a very ceremonious event with many toasts.
- A frantoio is a good place to get oil: What most people don't know is that you can usually buy oil directly from a frantoio, though you might need to bring your own container!
- The best thing about fresh-pressed oil: noting how much its taste changes every day.
Resources
Poggio di Clò
www.poggiodiclo.com
See where Douglas and Ombretta picked olives in Arcigliano
Tuscany.Net
www.tuscany.net
Picking olives and olive tours from Castello di Cafaggio in Chianti
knowital.com
www.knowital.com
Good article regarding the process of harvesting and pressing
In ItalyTM Online
www.initaly.com
Information regarding agriturismo, staying at farmhouses or apartments in Italy
Olive Oil Source
www.oliveoilsource.com
In-depth information about olive events, olive farming, olive oil in the U.S. and internationally
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