Mariannina

OLIO EXTRAVERGINE DI OLIVA

Our Olive Oil

USAGE, TASTE, STORAGE, AND SHELF LIFE

Our olive oil is perfect for both cold and hot dishes. It adds a unique touch to salads, vegetables, and pasta. It is also suitable for cooking, baking, and frying. Due to its very neutral taste, our olive oil can even be used for mashed potatoes, baking recipes, and more. The olive oil, made from the Nocellara del Belice variety, is known for its mild, velvety flavor with a slightly spicy finish (spicy due to polyphenols/antioxidants). Because of its harmonious, balanced taste and the aromas of meadow herbs, artichokes, figs, and subtle hints of bush tomatoes, our olive oil can be used in many ways in the kitchen. Store the oil in a cool, dark place and try to enjoy it within 18 months. Let your creativity run wild when using our olive oil.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

FEATURES

To be labeled as "extra virgin olive oil," certain acidity levels and processing temperatures must be maintained. Olive oil is classified as extra virgin if the acidity level is at most 0.8% or below. The lower the acidity, the longer the oil lasts and retains its positive health effects. Our olive oil is lab-tested and has an acidity level of 0.1%. The olive skin protects the triglycerides (dietary fats) from air oxygen. If the olive skin is damaged, oxygen enters the fruit and begins to break down the triglycerides, increasing the acidity. The olive skin can be damaged for various reasons: insect bites, hail, falling to the ground, being crushed in crates and trailers. In summary, oil from healthy, freshly picked olives will have a low acidity. To be called "extra virgin," olives must be processed at a maximum temperature of 27°C. This preserves all the valuable components of the ripe olives, ensuring the taste, aroma, color, and vitamin content.

Olive Oil and Health

SUPERFOOD

Olive oil not only tastes exceptionally good but is also considered extremely healthy and has been used as a superfood for thousands of years. Our olive oil, with its slightly grassy-fruity aroma, has a unique composition of fats and is said to provide vitality and fitness well into old age.

Nutritionists and doctors worldwide confirm that regular consumption of olive oil can prevent numerous diseases and increase life expectancy. Olive oil contains unsaturated fatty acids, which help maintain a healthy cholesterol level, boost metabolism, and serve as a long-term energy source. Olive oil is mainly composed of oleic acids like Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, as well as vitamins E and K. The oil provides important aromatic compounds called polyphenols. These polyphenols protect our body from free radicals that attack our cells and have anti-inflammatory properties.

Natural olive oil contains 70% monounsaturated fatty acids. Regular consumption of natural olive oil leads to a lower accumulation of cholesterol in the blood and a reduced incidence of heart problems.

There is a close connection between diet and blood pressure. It has been proven that regular consumption of natural olive oil as part of the diet leads to reduced maximum (systolic) blood pressure and reduced minimum (diastolic) blood pressure. These reductions are due to the vasodilatory effects of the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in polyphenols.

Production Process

HAND-PICKED

Our ancient olive trees are meticulously cared for and nurtured according to traditional family methods. In the autumn, when the olives are ripe or just before full ripeness, they are carefully hand-picked. This gentle method of harvesting ensures that the fruits are hardly bruised, providing the best conditions for producing high-quality olive oil. Immediately after harvesting, the olives are transported to the oil mill in Castelvetrano. It is crucial that the olives are processed as quickly as possible between harvesting and pressing; otherwise, bruising can lead to browning, and unnoticed fermentation processes can develop within the olives. This would result in the loss of the fresh, mild aroma and the quality of the olive oil.

At the oil mill, the olives are first freed from any leaves and washed. Then, the olives, including the pits, are crushed into a moist paste using the latest generation oil mills. Unlike other edible oils, olive oil is not extracted only from the seeds or pits but is cold-pressed from the whole fruit. Cold-pressed olive oils are processed at temperatures not exceeding 27°C. This ensures that all the valuable components of the ripe olives are preserved, which are essential for the taste, aroma, color, and vitamin content. The result is a mixture of olive oil and fruit water. Finally, the olive oil is separated from the fruit water in a centrifuge and stored in large stainless steel vats for about four months. It is then decanted by hand (not filtered, which retains valuable nutrients) and bottled by hand. For our olive oil, we use only the first pressing and exclusively our own cultivated olives. The noble olive Nocellara is used both as a table olive and for oil production.