The growth of olive oil over the past few decades seemed unstoppable as we drizzled it over everything but is there a new kid on the block? Haydn Shaughnessy reports.
For those who lash it on their salads or use it for cooking, here's some surprising news. Olive oil contains 120-124 calories per tablespoon.
The drizzle frenzy of modern olive oil consumption is bizarre in our weight-challenged world.
Yes, of all the fats, olive oil is one of the least harmful, but its abundance all around us, and all over our food, is a recent phenomenon.
Olive oil production at the turn of the century was underwritten by an annual European Union subsidy in excess of €2 billion. In the shame-faced retreat from agricultural subsidies, the EU decided that it would cushion the blow to olive oil producers by funding brand development, hence your average deli can now boast a dozen varieties of "cru" olive oil and the supermarket shelves are crowded with the residue at a price that invites you to just lash it on.
A challenger to olive oil's monopoly on the healthy oil market is coconut oil. Coconut oil is believed by advocates, like lipid expert Mary Enig, to be a healthy saturated fat.
If that sounds like an oxymoron then consider the argument that solid "oils" can withstand heat better than liquid oils can. They are less prone to the effects of oxygen and light than some polyunsaturated oils.
The science seems to point to a number of benefits from using coconut oil. For example, it boosts the metabolism and it retards the ageing effect of the ultra-violet light in the sun's rays, though manufacturers have been warned in Europe against making health claims for the oil.
We have become olive oil addicts even though the proliferation of extra virgins is driven by the needs of olive oil farmers. Yet it's easy to push up the weight count of a meal by an extra 1,000 calories by cooking in olive oil and then lashing it over the lettuce.
There are other doubts to be raised about olive oil. What happens to an oil when we heat it? Heating an oil, potentially, alters its chemical structure raising fears that the cooking process might create a dangerous trans-fat.
No need to fear says the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC). But peruse the small print. A safe temperature for cooking with olive oil for any length of time is 130-145 degrees, which is quite low and well back from the point where olive oil starts to burn (around 210 degrees).
Generally, when we fry we take an oil up to about 180 degrees. At that temperature, get your food in and out quickly or coat it with batter.
Fats expert Udo
Erasmus told me recently that the issue is too often viewed as an absolute when in fact the problem is a progressive one. Yes, the IOOC is right that oil is not fundamentally altered until 210 degrees but it is progressively damaged at all temperatures up to that limit.
Olive oil producer Leyla Laleli, himself a doctor and researcher, puts the problem differently.
"Extra virgin olive oil contains pieces of the fruit, microscopic of course. These can burn well below the smoke point and that will spoil the taste."
So should we use a virgin olive oil rather than an extra virgin for cooking. "To be sure," says Laleli, "use a filtered oil, one where olive particles are filtered out."
The problem is there are few, if any, filtered olive oils on the market. Laleli also points out that olive oil interacts with food as it cooks. Olive oil will extract excess saturated fats from meat, meaning that what's left in the pan is probably not something you want to eat.
Throw it out, he advises, rather than make it into a sauce. On the other hand, it extracts essential fats from fish. Keep it and eat it.
Coconut oil stands now in the position that olive oil occupied 40 years ago. Coconut oil is expensive, generally produced by small farmers in exotic locations, and has none of olive oil's economies of scale. Expect to pay around €14 for a 450ml jar (only use a quality coconut oil - cheap coconut oil is likely to be made in ways that can prove harmful, just as refined olive oil is harmful).
I tested four different brands of coconut oil. They are NiuLife (available from simplywild.com), Tropical Traditions (available from tropicaloilseurope.com), Omega Nutrition (available from health food stores) and Naturalife Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (available from Naturalife.ie and health food stores).
Are they any good? I've been cooking with them now for six months and wouldn't be able to distinguish between these oils. They are all equally good. The slight aroma that coconut oil imparts to the food has faded into the background and my taste buds treat it as a neutral. I use less than I would with olive oil and, because I can cook at a slightly higher temperature, the food tends not to absorb as much, so calorie wise I guess I have an improvement. It does not leave me with a heavy stomach which would ordinarily be the effect of eating saturated fats. I don't pig out on it but I use it every day. I believe it has many health benefits but am mindful that the European thought police would aver if I spell them out.
Instead of cooking with olive oil I now save that for flavour, adding a little at the end of the cooking process. This means, as far as I can tell, I get the best of both worlds.