Should we stop buying olive oil? – 09/27/2023 – Gross Kitchen

I’m a huge fan of the flavor of olive oil. At home, the volume of olive oil consumed is much greater than that of neutral vegetable oil – which ranks fourth, after butter and lard.

Having made the declaration of love, I raise the question: wouldn’t it be wise to take a break from this relationship with olive oil?

As my friend Ivan Finotti reported from Madrid, olive oil production fell by half in Spain this year (take into account that the country accounts for 45% of the olive oil sold in the world).

The producer price has tripled since 2020.

The increase will reach the supermarket shelf in Brazil. It always arrives. Before the pandemic, it was possible to buy 750 ml of acceptable olive oil for R$17 or R$20. Now the price of the cheapest brands is over R$30.

And things only tend to get worse in the short term. The rebound from the Spanish crop failure will hit hard.

In terms of volume, olive oil accounts for a minor portion of the total fat used in cooking. When the values ​​of the sector are measured, we have a business of gigantic proportions.

A powerful body manages the global marketing of olive oil: the International Olive Oil Council, based in Madrid.

The IOC is responsible for promoting and disseminating research that highlights the health benefits brought by olive oil. It’s not up to me to doubt such studies, just to question whether it’s worth insisting on a food that tends to become inaccessible in the coming years.

The olive tree, as well as the wine vine, are exotic species in Brazil. Furthermore: its cycles do not adapt to the climates of most of our territory.

It takes a great agronomic effort to produce Brazilian olive oil and wine on a commercial scale. We will never be self-sufficient in these two foods. These are niche products, luxury items.

Thing for those who can pay.

You can? I still can. I do not know until when.

The link between our food culture and the Portuguese one is umbilical. Olive oil is part of our cuisine, but it has always been an imported product. Recently, we have excellent olive oils produced on national soil, but with negligible volume and price back on the Moon.

It is not something that the general population consumes. In fact, no olive oil is.

Unfortunately, none of what we call gastronomy is part of the popular repertoire. I know that my words are addressed to a privileged few.

For these, stopping using olive oil (or drastically reducing its use) requires a total overhaul of habits. A recreation of cuisine with something that doesn’t even exist – a healthy, sustainable and palatable vegetable fat, produced on a large scale, at sensible prices.

So it is.

I think we are still dependent on olive oil at extortionate prices.

Finally, a golden tip. If you think olive oil is too expensive, swap it for oil, lard or butter. Don’t fall for the trick of olive oil that costs half the price and is always adulterated.

LINK PRESENT: Did you like this text? Subscribers can access five free accesses from any link per day. Just click the blue F below.