Wednesday, 22 March 2023

Different Olive Oils in India and How to Best Use Them


We all know olive oil is a miraculous edible oil with countless benefits for your body from your head to toe. Apart from being a fantastic cholesterol-free cooking oil which makes it ideal for your heart, there are many more advantages of using it, one of them being cancer prevention. So, it makes sense to us daily, doesn’t it? But with so many different kinds of olive oil in India, it becomes confusing to choose the right one for your consumption. Whether you pick virgin, extra light or pomace olive oil, it all depends on your eating habits and your primary health goal. So today, let us discuss this in detail and find the perfect olive oil for your everyday diet.

 

Virgin and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

What are they?

Considered to be the purest and of the highest quality, virgin olive oils are packed with tons of nutrients required for good health. Virgin olive oil is one of the best olive oils in India which is obtained by cold pressing of olives which releases this greenish-golden oil. It is slightly bitter and has a strong flavour and aroma. It has a low smoking point which makes it unsuitable for cooking as it can easily burn on heating. 

How to use them?

You can use virgin oils obtained from olives in cold dishes or simply as a topping or as a dipping oil. You can pair them with your roasted veggies, toss your herbed rice or salad in them, drizzle them over sandwiches or dip any bread. You can also use it in your pasta or appetizers like bruschetta.

 

Pomace Oil

What is it?

Pomace olive oil is often considered to be of low quality as it is a refined oil. However, it is completely safe and equally rich in nutrients as any other olive oil in India. It is obtained through the chemical extraction of oil from the olive flesh that is left after the first extraction. It is pale golden in colour, tasteless and odourless and has a high smoking point. You can thus use pomace olive oil for cooking as it doesn’t burn as easily as its virgin counterparts.

How to use it?

You can use pomace oil to make a variety of dishes of your choice. It is a cholesterol-free cooking oil which can be used to prepare foods from different cuisines including that of India. Thus, you can very well make anything from simple tadka dal to mighty butter chicken and indulge guilt-free. You can also heat it to very high temperatures for deep frying bhaturas or samosas or for occasional baking, like cookies or cakes. Being devoid of any flavour of its own, it will not alter the taste of the dish and blend in seamlessly to give you all the olive oil nutrients.

 

Extra Light Olive Oil

What is it?

Extra light is an intermediate olive oil which gives you benefits from both virgin and pomace oil. It is a powerpack of inherent olive oil nutrients and has its aroma and taste like virgin oil, yet it can be used for cooking like pomace oil. Extra light olive oil is obtained through a special chemical refining process which makes it very light and healthy so you can enjoy your food without having to count calories.

How to use it?

Extra light is one of the best olive oil in India which you can use to make many different kinds of dishes including Indian foods. Food that is cooked in it uses only about 67% of oil which in turn makes your food quite light both on your stomach and for your heart. So, you. can use it for a variety of fares like pulao, parathas, tikkis and of course, pasta, salads and so much more.

 

Takeaway

 

With the presence of so many different olive oils in India, it may be hard to pick one that is perfect for your tastebuds and palette, but certainly, all are ideal for a sound body. So, now that you know what each of them are and how they can be best put to use, you can select one for a satisfying daily diet and healthy mind and body.

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