Olive oil has been a staple ingredient in kitchens around the world for thousands of years. But over the past couple of decades, chefs have developed an almost fanatical obsession with olive oil, treating it less like a basic pantry item and more like a precious ingredient to be revered. What is behind this olive oil obsession in the culinary world?
The rising popularity of the Mediterranean diet
One of the biggest factors driving the chef obsession with olive oil is the rising popularity of the Mediterranean diet. This diet emphasizes plant-based foods, healthy fats like olive oil, fish, and whole grains. Study after study has found the Mediterranean diet to be one of the healthiest approaches to eating. As more people pay attention to the health benefits of the Mediterranean lifestyle, the spotlight has shone brighter on olive oil.
Chefs have played a key role in evangelizing the Mediterranean diet and its prolific use of olive oil. Celebrity chefs like Nancy Silverton, Jose Andres, and Yotam Ottolenghi have published bestselling cookbooks focused on olive oil and the Mediterranean kitchen. Their recipes calling for copious amounts of high-quality extra virgin olive oil have inspired home cooks and restaurant chefs alike to embrace olive oil.
Understanding quality differences
As chefs have become more obsessed with olive oil, they have also nerded out over understanding quality differences. There is a vast spectrum of quality between the cheapest, mass-produced olive oil on the grocery store shelf and the single-estate, extra virgin olive oils used by restaurants.
Chefs have learned that factors like olive variety, time of harvest, production method (steel or stone mill), and storage can drastically impact the flavor of olive oil. A fresh, high-quality extra virgin olive oil can provide complex aromas of grass, fruit, pepper, and herbs. In contrast, a low quality olive oil may taste musty or rancid.
By sourcing from artisanal olive oil producers and purchasing oils made from specific olive varieties, chefs can customize the flavor profile of their olive oil to match their culinary creations. A peppery Picual olive oil may provide the perfect finishing drizzle for grilled meats while a buttery Koroneiki olive oil can harmonize with fish dishes.
Olive oil as finishing oil
One of the hallmark traits of chef obsession with olive oil is using it less for sautéeing or frying and more as a finishing oil. By drizzling high-quality olive oil over cooked vegetables, seafood crudos, meat dishes, pastas, and soups, chefs are able to preserve the nuanced flavors and aromas of great olive oil.
Using olive oil as a finishing oil provides bursts of fruitiness and pepperiness without cooking these volatile compounds away over high heat. It also enables chefs to customize dishes by selecting olive oils to match or enhance specific flavors. A dish of grilled octopus gains brininess and complexity from a final splash of grassy Greek olive oil.
Health halo effect
The halo of health around olive oil has also contributed to its starring role on restaurant menus. With consumers increasingly focused on eating better fats instead of low-fat, chefs have responded by calling out their use of extra virgin olive oil. Listing the olive varietal and estate provenance also allows chefs to signal that they are choosing artisanal, high-quality ingredients.
Diners see olive oil as synonymous with the healthy Mediterranean diet. So proclaiming olive oil front and center on a menu can make dishes seem fresher and less calorie-laden. A lamb shoulder marinated in thyme-infused Cerignola olive oil sounds lighter than braised lamb shoulder, even if the ingredients and preparation are fundamentally the same.
Versatility
Olive oil appeals to chefs because it is incredibly versatile. It can be used for:
- Sautéing aromatics like garlic, onions, shallots at medium heat
- Roasting vegetables
- Frying foods like fish, chicken cutlets, fritters
- Making vinaigrettes and dressings
- Finishing soups, pastas, grilled or roasted proteins
- Drizzling on hummus, bread, burrata, ricotta
- Blending into cake, cookie, muffin batters
This versatility enables chefs to use olive oil across all different sections of a menu. A restaurant may rely on olive oil for sautéing veggies in appetizers, making salad dressings, frying fish entrees, and baking olive oil cakes for dessert. Olive oil can provide continuity across diverse preparations.
Nuanced flavors
Great chefs know that complexity equals flavor. That is part of why they geek out over using high-quality olive oils with nuanced taste profiles. The myriad aromas and flavors distinguish olive oil from neutral vegetable or canola oil.
These nuanced flavors allow chefs to elevate simple dishes. A flaky white fish served with lemon wedges and an ultra-fragrant Koroneiki olive oil makes a simple preparation special. Home cooks can emulate chef techniques by deliberately choosing olive oils with pepperiness, grassiness, nuttiness, or bitterness to enhance their own dishes.
Sustainability benefits
Sustainably produced olive oil appeals to eco-conscious chefs seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of their menus. Small-batch olive oils from family orchards have cachet over mass produced oils from large companies.
High-quality olive oils are artisanal products with traceability from orchard to bottle. Choosing olive oils sourced directly from small growers and producers allows chefs to support sustainable agriculture in olive-growing regions like Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and California.
Conclusions
The reasons behind olive oil obsession in restaurant kitchens are manifold. But it fundamentally boils down to flavor and versatility. Olive oil allows chefs to add complexity and nuance to their cooking across every section of a menu. The health halo and sustainability benefits are nice bonuses too.
For home cooks, the chef fixation on olive oil is great news. As chefs reject gloopy, flavorless vegetable oils, consumers have more high-quality, delicious options at their grocery stores and local markets. Experimenting with artisanal olive oils is an easy and affordable way for home cooks to elevate their dishes like restaurant chefs.
Just be sure to splurge on olive oils intended for finishing, rather than cooking. Save the cooking olive oil for medium-high sautéing and reserve your expensive, cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil to drizzle on hummus, pasta, or grilled bread. Let the olive oil obsession continue!