The world has switched to Olive Oil. Why not us? Because, for some reason, no one took the trouble to educate us about how to use it. Everyone thought we should use Extra Virgin Olive Oil because it was supposed to be the best oil. Best flavour, sure, but not best for cooking Indian cuisine which is what oil is mainly used for in India. When people tried to cook Indian cuisine with Extra Virgin, they found that the taste changed slightly as the olive aroma and flavour was imparted to the food. Frying in Extra Virgin also presented difficulties because it would sputter and pop quite quickly. No one told us that Extra Virgin was a somewhat heavy and viscous oil, when compared to other grades of olive oil and was best suited for flavourings, dressings, dips, condiments or for integrating foods, e.g. making cold sauces, crushing ingredients and preparing carpaccio or marinated dishes.
Olive Oil (or Pure Olive Oil), the intermediate category oil, is great for preparing Continental or Mediterranean cuisine. It is also ideal for body massage. But it does not have the lightness and neutrality required to cook Indian cuisine. For Indian food, we need to look further.
Olive Pomace Oil is the cooking grade oil. Pomace oil is used all over Italy, Spain and the Mediterranean for every type of cooking and particularly for frying. Pomace oil is a low priced, light oil with neutral taste and flavour. Olive Pomace Oil can be used for all methods, types and varieties of Indian cooking; it neither changes the taste nor presents any difficulties while cooking. Indian cuisine, whether fried, roasted, ‘bhunoed’ or cooked by any other method, tastes as good with Olive Pomace Oil as with Sunflower, Safflower, Corn or any other oil. Olive Pomace Oil is the lowest priced olive oil and provides optimum value for money as the best cooking grade oil for Indian cuisine.
The benefits of olive pomace oil are especially apparent when frying at between 130 and 240ºC. At these temperatures, olive oil forms a crisp, golden crust, making the fried food much more appetizing without affecting its nutritional value. During the process, the oil hardly penetrates the food, leaving it light and digestible. Olive Pomace Oil does not break down provided the temperature does not exceed 240ºC, which is a much higher smoking point than that of most conventional oils. It may be re-used 3-4 times as long as it is filtered carefully after each use through gauze, muslin or a suitable paper filter.
The mistaken but common perception that Olive Oil is expensive has prevented its widespread use in Indian cuisine. Even though Olive Oil costs more than other edible oils, it is economical to use since it is used in 1/3rd the quantity of other edible oils. Olive Pomace Oil in particular has a high smoking point; it can also be reused 3-4 times. Used in 1/3rd the quantity and reusable 3 times, the effective cost of Olive Oil is 1/9th its actual price!
The health benefits of olive oil are well-known. It has the highest content of monounsaturated “good” fats, which reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides. It has amongst the lowest percentage of saturated “bad” fats, which increase bad cholesterol. This beneficial fat ratio is the same in both Olive Pomace Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Extra Virgin Oil has additional health benefits in the form of anti-oxidants but many of these are lost when the oil is heated. The best use of Extra Virgin is raw, when the full benefits of its flavour and health attributes can be fully experienced. Olive Pomace Oil is not a substitute for Extra Virgin. It is a substitute, upgrade, for other refined oils like sunflower, safflower, corn, palm, mustard, groundnut, rice-bran, sesame, etc. and other unhealthy cooking mediums like coconut, ghee, vanaspati, etc.
Far healthier than any of our traditional oils, Olive Pomace Oil is neither expensive nor difficult to cook with. There is nothing to stop health-conscious Indians from using it in everyday ghar ka khana. It’s high time too, since lifestyle disease in India is fast becoming a national emergency. India ranks No.1 in the world for number of cardiac patients. 31% of urban Indians are either overweight or obese. 100 million people in India have high blood pressure. Over 40% of urban Indians have high lipid levels. India is the diabetic capital of the world. We cannot simply go on the way we have - something needs to be done.
And switching to healthier oil is, after all, the easiest change one can make for one’s health.
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