How To Pair Olive Oil With Food?

Olive oil shares more similarities with wine than you can imagine. These are the two most complex agricultural products on the planet, and it comes without saying they're immensely pleasurable.

Just like the right bottle of wine can enhance your meal, the correct olive oil can liven the flavor and texture of your food, elevating the entire dining experience to new heights.

Not all olive oil is created equal. From cooking oil to the most contemplative specialty oils, the realm of olive oil is vast and varied. So, how to choose?

Here's all you need to know about the different olive oil profiles and how to pair them with food.

What Makes A Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

Let's start from the beginning. Olive oil is the product of pressing freshly harvested olives. The resulting silky liquid is intensely flavorful and aromatic. It's super healthy too!

Some oils, though, are designed for cooking, but the nicest kind is handled with care from tree to bottle. This is the Extra Virgin Olive Oil or EVOO.

What is the best olive oil? Ultimately, that's up to you, but the most pleasing examples have something in common — balance.

The balance between a pleasant bitterness, flavor intensity and fruitiness results in contemplative oil that lifts your food as effectively as the finest of wine.

What Makes Olive Oil So Exciting?

EVOO is more than cooking oil; it holds many secrets — delectable aromas, intense flavors, and the smoothest of textures. Food-wise, there's nothing more sensual than fine olive oil.

Some olive oil is all about subtleness. Its delicate scent is inviting and comforting. Others are robust and lively and always bring a smile to your face.

What makes olive oil so much fun? It's its complex character. The harmony between herbal aromas reminiscent of cooking herbs and fresh-cut grass, and the ripe scents redolent of fruit. What's not to love?

The best part? There are no two bottles of olive oil alike, which means you can find one that's just right for you. Here's how to pair that perfect olive oil with food.

How To Pair Delicate Olive Oil With Food

Delicate olive oil is shy, but it always shows its charm as a buttery texture and a lively floral taste with lingering scents of black pepper in the aftertaste.

These beauties are ideal for pairing over a tossed salad; they're compatible with whitefish, mild cheese and herbal preparations like pesto. Raw oysters and shellfish shine when flavored with delicate olive oil, too, and so do raw vegetables.

Delicate olive oil is a lovely style to have at home for those warm summer evenings when light and fresh food are the order of the day. Olive oil at its lightest expression.

How to Pair Olive Oil of Medium Intensity With Food

Olive oil with medium intensity reveals a fruit-forward aroma and flavors, and might show a spicy, peppery character.

Bolder than the most delicate and fragrant styles, medium-bodied olive oil will pair beautifully with roasted poultry, white meat, and sautéed veggies. This might be the type of olive oil you want to have in hand to dip a slice of freshly baked artisan bread.

This olive oil is also compatible with heartier pasta dishes and pizza, anything benefitting from a drizzle of silken bliss redolent of ripe, thrilling white fruit flavors.

How to Pair Robust Olive Oil With Food

Robust olive oil lies on top of the food chain. This deep-hued oil is bold and won't get subdued by the food's flavor intensity.

Thick and fatty beef steaks, rustic lamb chops and meaty stews will benefit from a dash of robust olive oil. Anything kissed by smoke and fire, from slow-cooked brisket to a whole hog, is a match for such potent oil. Mature cheese also shows its best when paired with this structured oil category.

It comes without saying robust olive oil is not better than the previous categories, but distinct. Each has a place on the table and mastering their use will enhance your culinary skills massively.

Pair Greek Vassae Olive Oil With Your Favorite Food!

Although you'll find olive oil producers worldwide, no country has a lengthier relationship with olive trees than Greece — expect nothing but perfection in all styles.

Chemist Dimitrios Mavroeidis is behind Vassae Olive Oil, authentic 'green gold' of medium to robust intensity, artisanally crafted with the finest olives and the most quality-oriented methods.

It's hard to beat Vassae in versatility. Fish, white and red meat, grilled veggies and stews, pasta and baking treats — Vassae is all about balance, and that's the secret behind the most intricate food pairings.

Now that you're a food and EVOO pairing expert, browse our select recipe collection and liven your meals with one of the most exciting ingredients on the planet.