Olive Oil

Olive oil is the liquid fat pressed from the fruit of the olive tree (Olea europaea) — not a seed oil but a fruit juice, the only common cooking oil extracted by simply crushing and spinning whole fresh fruit. Extra-virgin oil, the top grade, runs green-gold and tastes of cut grass, almond and a peppery sting at the back of the throat; lesser grades are refined to near-neutral. It is the defining fat of the Mediterranean table, used raw, drizzled, fried and baked.