OLIVE OIL AND HEALTH
It has been scientifically proven that olive oil contains a series of elements which are highly beneficial to a large part of the human body This modern view was also held in ancient times.
Hippocrates prescribed olive oil for ulcers and cholera, and as an ointment for muscular pain. Pliny the Elder (first century AD) wrote a treaty on the curative properties of the olive tree and the oil obtained from its fruit: when mixed with honey it heals wounds; it can be used in drops to treat eye diseases; the roots of the olive tree, when crushed and added to honey cure bronchial diseases. He also advocated drinking olive-leaf infusions as an excellent cleansing medicine.
The therapeutic properties of olives themselves are related to their chemical structure. Olive oil has a predominance of monounsaturated fatty acids, mainly oleic acid. Animal fats are made up of polyunsaturated acids, and are much less stable than monounsaturated acids against the process of oxidation.
The chemical make-up of olive oil is particularly interesting, not just for its composition of acids but also for its lesser elements, in particular antioxidants (tocopherol, phenolic compounds and carotenoids), of which it contains large amounts. This richness in antioxidants is perhaps due to the fact that the olive is a fruit exposed to the air and must defend itself from the oxygen. Unlike seeds (such as sunflowers), therefore, olives contain a greater amount of antioxidant substances, which are present in the oil.
A diet rich in monounsaturated fatty acids based on antioxidant components (vitamin E) acts as a defence mechanism for the human organism which, by law of nature, is constantly growing old.
Olive oil is ideal for preventing phenomena which lead to ageing, due to the high content of anti-oxidants and the very low content of saturated fatty acids.
Olive oil has a favourable effect on bone mineralisation. It is indispensable during the growing age, but also as an adult to slow the loss of calcium, which increases with age.
A diet with olive oil is necessary for both children and adolescents. A diet poor in olive oil can delay growth. Studies exist which have detected alteration in the brain’s structural lipids in groups of children treated with saturated fats and sunflower oil, but not in those given olive oil.
Arteriosclerosis is one of the most common diseases in industrialised countries. lt is a veritable plague and the main cause of mortality due not only to genetic predisposition but also to lifestyle: stress, an inadequate diet and the abusive consumption of alcohol and tobacco. The consequences are high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases in general.
Cholesterol is a lipid abundant in animal tissue. A diet rich in animal fats helps to increase the level of cholesterol in the plasma (LDL). The opposite occurs with a diet featuring olive oil as a basic ingredient, rich in monounsaturated fats, which also helps to raise levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL). The studies carried out by Professor Grande Covian and Professor Keys have shown a higher incidence of heart diseases in Finnish and North American people, with a low intake of olive oil, than in people from the Mediterranean area where olive oil is a common element of the daily diet.
Research in both Europe and the USA has confirmed the protective effect of olive oil against breast cancer, particularly in menopausal women. This protection may be related to monounsaturated fatty acids. The reason given by new consumers of olive oil, from non-producing countries with diets not based on olive oil, is that it is a product with scientifically proven beneficial effects on health.
OLIVE 0IL AND THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET
The Mediterranean diet or cuisine, which is based fundamentally on olive oil, and with a predominantly vegetable content (fruit, vegetables, pulses), is the most suitable for preventing all kinds of diseases. As Professor Francisco Mataix Verdu puts it, “normally we do not reflect that when we eat, not only do we satisfy the physiological need of hunger and the pleasing aspect of a tasty dish, we are also supplying the organism with the basic pieces so that, suitably digested and metabolised, they contribute towards good health and, in a wider sense, to a long life”.
The great chefs of the world have praised olive oil for use in frying, to dress salads and, above all, to condiment all kinds of dishes from the simple to the sophisticated, as was seen in the Second International Gastronomic Summit held in Madrid in January 2004. The exhibition by three young chefs titled “The Thousand and One Uses of Olive Oil” was a total success. Olive oil is being used more and more by the best chefs (as well as cooks in more modest restaurants) to prepare their dishes. The most avant-garde cuisine is using more olive oil, and whereas before famous chefs would wonder “what dish can I use olive oil in?” (as butter was much more common), they might now ask “what don’t I use it in?”.
As was made clear in the International Summit, olive oil confers flavours and aromas to food, apart from its use at high temperature. Haute cuisine holds olive oil in high regard in its new technique of frying/cooking.
Olive oil should always be used in pasta recipes, and not just because olive oil is produced and consumed in Italy. Spaghetti, for example, is much smoother when a little virgin olive oil is added to the boiling water.
A good salad, properly dressed, is an ideal accompaniment to a pasta dish. A raw extra virgin oil with all its unfiltered properties enhances vegetables, as well as the traditional gazpacho, and the salmorejo of Cordoba or porra of Antequera, which was also exhibited in the International Summit. And let us not forget a slice of crunchy bread soaked in a good raw oil, the epitome of a healthy breakfast for the heart, promoted in schools in Asturias by Dr Jesus Bernardo.
The food critic José Carlos Capel says that olive oil should be used in both haute cuisine and popular cooking, and not just for frying or to dress salads. ln stews and sautés, as with meat and fish, the aroma and flavour of olive oil complements the ingredients used. In roasts, olive oil is most suitable for its stability and adaptability to high temperatures. The same can be said of grilled, pan-fried and barbecued foods. And the best mayonnaise is made with a fruity virgin olive oil.
Olive oil is also beginning to replace butter in artisan confectionery albeit slowly. Traditional lard cakes are now made in two batches: one with pork lard and another with olive oil. Homemade sponges can be made perfectly well with a good virgin olive oil instead of the butter stated in
the recipe.
The art of cooking needs to be applied well when using the wide variety of virgin olive oils that exist on the market. An ideal situation is to have several oils in the kitchen, provided one knows how to judge their organoleptic qualities. There are oils which are more or less fruity; there are those which are smooth and others with more body. Some can be used raw and others in stews or for frying.
That said, the general rule is that if you are in the habit of using a good extra virgin olive oil, one which is fruity smooth, not too bitter and not too spicy in the throat, yet has the aroma of an olive grove, it can be used for all kinds of dishes. It is like drinking a good red wine, which will go well with fish and meat, regardless of convention.
FRYING WITH OLIVE OIL
Frying is the most suitable way to make food agreeable to the palate. It is also the oldest and most popular form of cooking throughout the Mediterranean.
This tradition is linked to a culture or lifestyle which goes hand in hand with olive growing. Olive oil has no competition when it comes to being heated and used for frying. Compared with other liquid fats, it is the most resistant to oxidative deterioration. Frying with olive oil allows the food to withstand very high temperatures; it can reach 100 °C and remain constant until the water contained in the food has evaporated.
One of the simplest ways of checking if the oil is ready for frying is to add a few pieces of bread to the pan: if the bread sinks to the bottom and remains there, the oil is too cold, at around 150 “C. If the bread rises slowly to the surface, the oil is ready to fry delicate foods such as vegetables and slices of bread, at a temperature between 160 °C and 165 °C.
If the bread rises immediately then the oil is ready to fry at high temperatures, around l70°C to 175 “C. And if the bread does not sink at all and burns, the oil is too hot, at around 180 °C to 190 °C.
Hot olive oil acts very quickly and as such fried foods lose less of their nutritional value than during other culinary processes.
Studies by Professor Varela have shown that foods fried at a high temperature in olive oil do not lose their digestibility The increased stability of olive oil means that it can be used for frying more times than other vegetable fats. lt is extremely stable at high temperatures, such as when frying several batches of potatoes.
It forms a crust on the outside of the food, such as breaded fish and meat, giving improved taste and texture.
Habits when frying food are very similar, though there are differences. In Spain and Italy food is generally floured before frying; in France ingredients are dipped in milk and egg, then rolled in flour; in England they are coated in egg and breadcrumbs; in japan, where food is also fried, it is dipped in a mixture of flour and water; and in China food is fried at a very high temperature using only a small amount of oil.
However, all this depends on knowing how to fry food, which is an uncommon skill. The olive oil should not be blamed when the food is greasy; lacks the right texture or is raw on the inside. With a good olive oil at the right temperature, fried food comes out perfect. The result is food which is good for the heart and gastronomically unbeatable.
It is advisable to filter oil after frying. Remains of food can dirty the oil and alter its properties. Some foods leave more residue than others. Fish, for xample, leaves a very definite flavour in the oil. Potatoes damage the oil very little, and as such the oil can be used more than once. The general rule is to fry five or six times with the same oil, but always for the same type of food; when cooking a different kind, fresh oil should be used.
SYMBOL 0F PEACE
The olive is a mythological tree rich in symbolism. It has existed since ancient times, symbolising immortality and peace. The dove with the olive branch in its peak remains a powerful symbol of peace; the flood did not affect the olive, and Noah deemed it the tree of reconciliation.
The dove with the olive branch has been used extensively as a symbol on coins over the centuries, and Greek coins have been found featuring the owl and the olive tree as tributes to Athena. A medal commemorating the Spanish Constitution of 1812, in Cadiz, bears the image of the goddess Athena.
Another famous image is the dove of peace by Picasso. In The Aeneid, Virgil tells how Aeneas navigates the Tiber until arriving at the city where King Evander waits. His son, Pallas, asks Aeneas: “Who are you? Do you bring war or peace?”, and Aeneas shows him an olive branch.
The entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem is described in the New Testament with a clear allusion to the tree of peace: ‘And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way”.
Olive branches are blessed on Palm Sunday as a religious symbol. The olive tree is also linked to the last week of Christ’s life, to the Passion. Legend has it that the cross on which Jesus was crucified was made from olive wood. The Garden of Olives, where Jesus prayed before being arrested, is called Gethsemane, which means “oil press”.
Thousand—year old olives can still be seen in that place.
