There are many different countries that produce olive oil.  Where did the olive oil that you purchased originate?  Does it matter?  What kind of olives are used to make olive oil?  The more you know about olive oil, the better prepared you will be when you are ready to buy your next bottle of olive oil.

Several different countries around the world produce olive oil.  Italy, Spain, and Greece are the countries that produce the most olive oil.  Other olive oil producing countries include Tunisia, Turkey, Syria, Morocco, and Portugal.  France also produces olive oil.  The United States  produces some olive oil, primarily from olives grown in California.  Most olive oils are produced from countries in the Mediterranean.

Check the label on your bottle of olive oil closely.  If the olive oil inside the bottle came from more than one country, the label should indicate that it is a Blend.  If the olive oil came from only one country, then the label can say something like Made In Italy, (or whatever country it came from). If the label says Product of Italy, it means that the olive oil was bottled in Italy, but the olives may not necessarily come from Italy.

Olive oil can range in color from bright green, golden green, light brown, and different shades of yellow.  The color of the olive oil doesn’t directly indicate what the taste of that olive oil will be like.  The green color comes from the chlorophyll that is contained in the olives.  Olives that are picked early in the growing season will be very green, due to the chlorophyll.  As olives get older, and riper, they change color from green to a much darker color.  These darker olives contain more carotenoid pigments than they do chlorophyll, and so the olive oil produced from these olives will be a shade of yellow.  It is a myth that green olive oils are the tastiest.  Color doesn’t influence taste.  The best tasting olive oil is the one that you happen to like the best.  It really is a matter of personal preference.

One set of factors that does influence the taste of olive oil has to do with where in the world the olives were grown.  According to How Stuff Works, olive oil from Spain has a fruity or nutty flavor, and tends to be a golden color.  Italian olive oil is generally dark green, and will have a grassy, or herbal, flavor.  Greek olive oil is also green, and is said to have a very strong flavor.  French olive oil might be pale green, or pale yellow, and it will have a very mild flavor.  Olive oil from California has a light color and a fruity flavor.

Which olive oil is the right one for you?  A good way find the answer to that question is to attend an olive oil tasting.  Check with stores in your local area that specialize in olive oil.  They may do tastings right in their store, or they might know where you can find one.