Understanding the importance of olive oil Posted By : Navneet Kumar

Tag : lubricating oil
Olive oil is mostly found to be common in the Mediterraneancountries including Portugal. Olive oil contains healthymonounsaturated fatty acids and it contains about 75% of oleic acidwhich remains stable even at high temperatures. Olive oil does nothave any adverse affect on blood cholesterol levels. In fact, ithelps in lowering down any high blood cholesterol level that may bepresent in a persons body. Olive oil is good for people who sufferfrom constipation. It helps in lubricating the intestine andthereby allowing removing of the body waste and thus curesconstipation issue. Olive oil has natural antioxidants propertieswhich help in reducing the risk of heart attack and fight highblood pressure. The flavor of olive oil differs due to various factors such as thevariety of olive, the soil conditions, weather etc. Portugal isalso one of the country which produces good primary source of oliveoil. Some olive oils may contain single variety of oils. However,Italian oils are made up of a mixture of oils from different typesof olives which are produced from various countries. There arebasically four types of olive oil : 1) Virgin Olive Oil : Virgin Olive Oil is in its pure form as it is made when ripe olivesare pressed for the first time and the acid content is nearly 3.5%to 4% 2) Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This type of oil is also extracted from the first time pressing ofripe olives. However, Extra Virgin olive oil is low in acid. Theacid content of extra virgin olive oil is below 1%. It containsmore antioxidants agents and is mainly used for salad dressings. 3) Fine Olive Oil: It is a blend of Virgin and Extra Virgin Olive Oils and theacid content is about 3% 4) Refined Olive Oil: It is the most refined form of olive oil. It can be considered aspure olive oil. It can be considered as pure olive oil. It has arich texture and it can be easily digestible. Refine olive oil issuitable for deep frying and it is many times more heat resistant,compared to vegetable oil. Thus, one can reuse the same refinedolive oil to fry foods a number of times, before the oil actuallybegins to break down. Portugal has a mild climate which acts as a boon to the touristindustry for the entire year. Its countrys climate helps inproducing good vegetation and fruit cultivation. Bacalhau is thefamous Portuguese dish which is made out of salted coldfish. Thisdish is eaten with cabbage, grain, potatoes and above all thefamous olive oil. Soups also form a part of the local diet. Also,dinners may include bread and olives. Many people are now aware ofOlive pulp which has rapidly become popular as super foods. It canboost the immune system of the body and can thus prevent chronicdisease such as cancer and heart disease which are known toshortened lives. Olive oil contains antioxidant polyphenols.Portugal people mostly consume it daily along with a glass of wineand breads. One can feel and look healthier with this type of diet. Olive oil should be kept away from heat, in order to prevent agingof the oil. It should be stored in plastic or glass containers,away from light and the place should be dark and cool. Olive oil isfound to be much healthier compared to vegetable oils while fryinga food item in olive oil, the leftover oil can be reused once ortwice. Olive oil should be used in less quantity because whenheated, it starts to expand in volume. It hardly gets absorbed bythe food. However, I should warn you that if you are using oliveoil for the first tie, then do not directly use it as a cookingmedium. First get familiar to the taste of olive oil and then startusing it gracefully in your cooking.
Article Source : http://articleaddict.com
Portugal Web is online shop for Equestrian , Gourmet and Wine .
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 5 4 out of 5 3 out of 5 2 out of 5 1 out of 5
Not yet Rated