Real and Fake Extra Virgin Olive Oil

What I think is that the taste for olive oil needs to be developed. Usually, it unconsciously starts with counterfeit oils, which get abandoned when randomly buying something better. Then people start with trunks from Greece, where the counterfeit continues, especially when you think you can persuade a Greek to sell you cheap olive oil. Keep in mind that 4/5 of Greeks know nothing about olive oil; however, the remaining 1/5 know their job very well.

If you have good and knowledgeable friends who truly understand olive oil, you might skip a few of the previous stages, but we still come back to money—under €12/kg or €10/kg for a large packaging of 20.5 liters, there’s no chance, even for the Greeks themselves, meaning you’re still dealing with counterfeits.

The legend of homemade Greek olive oil from grandmothers always goes like this: just as rakia is distilled in rural stills here, olives are handed over to local oil presses there. Depending on quality, everyone gets their olive oil—Extra Virgin and Virgin. In 99% of cases, the "grandmothers" mix them, and the greater the proportion of Virgin, the cheaper the olive oil, but this is still the ideal scenario because in most cases, soybean or other oils are added, and the quality disappears, along with the health benefits.

How should one react if you want real Extra Virgin for yourself, your babies, children, etc.? Koroneiki is the olive variety for me. A label is essential, and this:

Certificates:

TUV HELLAS - for food safety; DIO - for organic products; PGI - for products with protected geographical indication. Here, particular attention must be paid – the olives must be only and exclusively from local plantations; the control in Greece for this is "ferocious," thank God for us consumers!

You will rarely see it, but only this way can you be sure that it is authentic. Even if you buy it expensive, there’s no way to be sure what exactly you’re purchasing. Of course, the refined palate of a specialist immediately catches the situation – it is still unattainable to counterfeit the aroma, taste, and lingering spiciness all at once.

Most often, on the labels of counterfeits, you will find the Greek flag, unknown certificates, and yellow medals, while the low acidity is achieved chemically to come in under 0.8%.

Good Greek olive oils for me come from the Ionian Islands (without Ithaca), Peloponnese, and Crete. For me, super olive oil must be Greek and island-produced.

There are very good olive oils from some Croatian islands (€25/kg), as well as from somewhere in Italy and Spain, but keep in mind that all crimes were invented in Italy, and to find real olive oil in these two countries, you must almost be a sommelier of olive oils. These two countries are indeed better traders, but especially in Italy, the mafia "presses" producers fiercely. Here’s something more on the topic: https://agri.bg/novini/italianskata-agromafiya-istoriyata-na-edna-svetovna-izmama-raboti-se

So, everyone has a head on their shoulders and should assess according to it and their wallet.

We at ExtraVirgin.BG offer genuine Greek olive oil Aristeon, preserving all valuable qualities and ingredients. The factory on Zakynthos island, Greece, is relatively small and works only with selected raw materials and modern technology to achieve the highest quality olive oil!

Publication No. 2 from 04/06/2021, borrowed from foreign press

"When I grew up in Italy in the 1950s, it was still very agricultural. Food was very important; the production was very important. Everyone made their own olive oil. It took me a long time after I moved here to understand that Americans are much further away from their food."

Isabella Rossellini

Olive oil is recognized as the most counterfeited food worldwide. Often, lower quality oils are sold as olive oil, which, apart from not being healthy, may have negative consequences for the health of those who consume it.

To verify this, specialized German laboratories conduct commissioned tests for Oko test – a German magazine and website dedicated to testing products purchased incognito. The results of these tests are so recognized that they can even serve as evidence in court. Ratings range from unsatisfactory to very good, based on their strict quality standards.

In 2019, an interesting study was published about the German olive oil market. The findings did not surprise either consumers or businessmen in the field – only 2 of the 20 popular brands surveyed in Germany meet the (already) lowered criteria for Extra Virgin and food safety.

What is the situation in our homeland?

Given the high German standards, it is logical for Bulgarian consumers to consider the quality of the products offered in our market. Three of the most popular