Quality Olive Oil

Seminar on Turkey’s Regional Culinary Cultures and Traditions was held at YESAM on May 3rd, 2012

Nedim Atilla and olive oil manufacturer Selin Ertur gave a lecture titled “Quality Olive Oil” to chefs at YESAM (Culinary Arts Center).

Chefs learned proper techniques - while tasting various types of olive oil - to better differentiate between high and low quality products.

Appreciating our olive oil

Per the decisions reached at the Olive Oil Summit organized by the Ministry of Culture, YESAM hosted a seminar for cooks and chefs on branding Turkish olive oil and differentiating good olive oil from bad.

During his opening remarks, Nedim Atilla described Anatolia as olive oil’s birthplace while expressing his disappointment in the overall apathy towards olive oil.

The seminar also featured Selin Ertur, the only Turkish olive oil manufacturer to judge on international tasting panels. Ertur had chefs taste 9 different olive oil samples as he went over techniques to differentiate quality olive oil from inferior products.

During taste testing, Ertur listed sunflower, canola, cotton, corn and soy-based oils among ‘seed’ oils that are frequently genetically modified (GMO). Olive oil, on the other hand, is derived from fruit and gets its flavor profile from different types of olives from different geographies. He noted that conditions in Turkey are not as conducive as those in Italy to produce a wide range of olive oils; however, the kind produced in Turkey is well suited for non-industrial daily consumption.

Ertur added that the trick to cooking with olive oil lies in understanding the chemical reaction that occurs when ingredients and oil are combined.  To maximize flavor, the olive oil should match the flavor profile of the ingredients used. Matching the ingredients with oils can maximize flavor, but is an exercise necessary only for cooking with olive oil and is not applicable to cooking with seed-based oils.

Selin Ertur summed up the overall pairing of food and oil as follows;’ olive oils with strong fruity aromatics should be used raw in salads or to dress grilled fish. These can also be paired up with vegetable soups, legume soups, pastas and risottos. Olive oils with mild fruitiness are recommended for grilled meats and vegetables, such as eggplants.

Olive oils, low in fruitiness are best for fried food, mayonnaise, egg-based sauces and cream-based soup applications.

Vedat Basaran revealed in his closing speech that YESAM’s goal is to promote the usage of high-quality Turkish olive oils in professional kitchens. He also stated that while Turkish chefs and cooks consume a lot more olive oil now than they used to, they still need to find ways to introduce Turkish olive oil to visiting tourists and chefs worldwide.

Lecture video is in Turkish.