Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil

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Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 797 ratings · 225 reviews

The sacred history and profane present of a substance long seen as the essence of health and civilization.

For millennia, fresh olive oil has been one of life's necessities-not just as food but also as medicine, a beauty aid, and a vital element of religious ritual. Today's researchers are continuing to confirm the remarkable, life-giving properties of true extra-virgin, an...more

Hardcover, 238 pages

Published December 5th 2011 by W. W. Norton & Company (first published January 1st 2011)

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Jan 01, 2012 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-about-food, cultural-and-social-commentary, four-star-nonfiction, history, nonfiction

It can be disheartening to read about the extraordinary benefits of pure, fresh olive oil, only to be told you're not likely to get it unless you grow and process your own olives. True extra virginity is mighty scarce. That pretty bottle of oil on your shelf for which you paid a premium price has probably been defiled more than once before being dressed up and sold as a virgin.

Let the buyer beware. Neither the sellers nor the regulatory agencies are looking out for your interests. There are a f...more It can be disheartening to read about the extraordinary benefits of pure, fresh olive oil, only to be told you're not likely to get it unless you grow and process your own olives. True extra virginity is mighty scarce. That pretty bottle of oil on your shelf for which you paid a premium price has probably been defiled more than once before being dressed up and sold as a virgin.

Let the buyer beware. Neither the sellers nor the regulatory agencies are looking out for your interests. There are a few honest producers, but they are being driven out of the market by the charlatans who can sell their trashy oil at lower prices.

This book is quite thorough for its length. It's primarily devoted to the worldwide history of olive oil adulteration and the corruption, ignorance, and apathy that allow it to continue. You also get to learn about various methods of olive oil production, the qualities and flavors it should have, and some fascinating historical uses of the oil.

A lot of people think a good olive oil should be mild in flavor and smell. If yours doesn't have distinct bitter, peppery, and fruity qualities, both you and your oil have been had. That bite and burn as it goes down your throat is what gives it the health-promoting qualities you're paying for. If it's bland and odorless, it has been refined, blended with seed oils, deodorized to fake you out, and very possibly even colorized to make it look greener and more authentic.

Some of the worst adulteration of olive oil happens right here in the U.S., where there is almost no regulatory oversight. The only way things will change is through consumer awareness and demand for a better product. If you care about extra-virgin olive oil, stop fooling yourself and wasting your money on falsely labeled, potentially harmful oils. This book is long overdue.

**Addendum: If you're an olive oil fan and this all sounds too discouraging, don't despair. All is not lost. The author has a website where you can find information about how to choose high quality olive oils, and where you can find reputable sources from which to purchase them.
www.extravirginity.com (less)

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Feb 06, 2012 Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Snail in Danger (Sid) by: Goodreads December 2011 recommendation email

Shelves: food

More like flipped through. I kind of groaned because ... it's one more thing about food that it is required, or desirable, to be more detail-oriented about. Sometimes, I admit, I mock the (as I understand it) rather stringent EU guidelines about what foods can be called what but ... in the US we have rather the opposite situation, where much food labeling is extremely unregulated.

The most useful thing about this book is probably the appendix, with its information about how to look for olive oil,...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Rebecca Stevenson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I can tell already that this is going to be one of those books that makes me look suspiciously at everything on a supermarket shelf.

In the end, after this fascinating glimpse into the shadowy, often bizarre world of olive oil, I came away with one relief: Zingerman's is still safe.

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 29, 2013 William rated it 4 of 5 stars

In many ways a fascinating book. Mueller has done meticulous research, both through interviews and through reviewing existing literature on the production of olive oil. Certainly, after reading this book, buying supermarket olive oil is out of the question. I respect the integrity of his work and his passion and admiration for olive oil produced by makers with integrity.

Still, I struggled with the book in some ways. While the book in general interested me, it was strangely difficult to read, and...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Cassie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 04, 2012 Summer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australia, europe, great-reads, info-books, non-fiction, nummy-good-cookbooks, south-america, middle-east, book-club, foodie

I would recommend that everyone read this book. It is the scandalous adventure of olive oil. I never thought olive oil could be so interesting, but it is.

Overall, it is shocking how much fraud there is in olive oil; until you realize the main exporter of olive oil is Italy and then it's a little more understandable {Mafia}. Over 50% of the olive oil that Americans use, including high-end restaurants, is considered lampant oil and has been chemically changed, taking out all of the nutritious and...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Kater Cheek rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the kind of book I usually adore: food, science, history, politics, people. I also adore olive oil. Mueller does a pretty good job of giving the reader (or listener, in my case) a good overview of the world of olive oil.

Here are the things I learned from this book. One, there are many, many different kinds of olive oil, almost as many olive cultivars as there are cultivars of wine grapes. Like wine, olive oil has been around since antiquity, and has been a stable source of trade in the M...more This is the kind of book I usually adore: food, science, history, politics, people. I also adore olive oil. Mueller does a pretty good job of giving the reader (or listener, in my case) a good overview of the world of olive oil.

Here are the things I learned from this book. One, there are many, many different kinds of olive oil, almost as many olive cultivars as there are cultivars of wine grapes. Like wine, olive oil has been around since antiquity, and has been a stable source of trade in the Mediterranean for Millennia. The book talks about amphorae, and why they have their distinctive shape, which I found fascinating (sits better on the sides of ships).

It also spends a lot of time dwelling on the slipperiness of oil. Olive oil has historically been one of the most often-adulterated foodstuffs. Oil barons have been diluting their precious green gold with cheaper oils since the first amphora was crafted out of clay. It hasn't ever stopped, apparently. Although the grade known as "extra virgin" is stringently delineated by European authorities, it is almost never enforced. In addition, olive oil cartels use their political power to shut down any grower who seeks more stringent regulations.

Mueller talks about the chemical composition of olive oil, and some of its unique antioxidant properties. He talks about how it affects the taste of food, how it stores and spoils, and how different varieties and growing conditions affect the taste of the oil. Like bitter beer, complex wine, or scotch whisky, real olive oil is an acquired taste, but its fans fall passionately in love with its complexity and nuances. It's also very good for you. If you have a diet rich in olive oil, you are likely to benefit from huge health benefits--most notably cardiovascular.

So here's the book in a nutshell: real olive oil is an ancient treasure, still made all over the world by fine growers and millers. It's insanely nutritious, has many health benefits, and while it's bitterness and pungency is likely to dissuade the uninitiated, once you catch the oil-fever, you will likely love it forever. However, you are not likely to ever taste real olive oil, because almost everything in the store is adulterated oil, mixed with seed oil or cheaper olive-pumice oil. No one tests for quality, and if they do, they don't impose penalties on oil-adulterators because cheap, badly tasting canola oil is not a health risk.

I recommend this book for foodies and fans of Mediterranean food. Beware, however. If you are like me, this book will make you CRAVE olive oil. I eventually couldn't stand it anymore and had to go out and buy a bottle from Whole Foods. Good thing it wasn't a book about heroine or cocaine.(less)

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Jun 17, 2012 Holly Morrow added it

A little book that goes extremely in-depth about a random topic, and involves descriptions of delicious food - my favorite kind!

While this book covers a whole range of topics related to olive oil - its use in ancient rites, its health benefits, its production processes - it is mainly about fraud in the production of extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin is supposed to meet certain criteria, some specific and measurable (acidity, for example) and others subjective but measurable by certified olive...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Maureen Kennedy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Olive oil lovers, Mediterranean Diet followers, Chefs

Recommended to Maureen by: Amazon

Shelves: food, green-lifestyle, healthy-body, mediterranean-diet

About 6 months ago I read The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine by Benjamin Wallace, a great 5* book on the criminal nature of the “haute” wine world. Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller was one of those “Customers Who Bought This Book Also Bought…” recommendations.

First, some background: About a year ago, I would have said that I knew how to pick a good olive oil in my local grocery store:
• Extra-Virgin? O...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Danny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I've been exploring the local farmer's market recently, coming home with vegetables I have no idea how to cook. When I look up recipes on the internet, they invariably include olive oil as the first ingredient. Pour in some oil, mince some garlic, saute some onions, and you're in business: This is the lesson I have learned. Alternately, just rub olive oil, salt, and pepper over whatever vegetable you have on hand, roast it in the oven for 45 minutes, and there's your side dish. It's a little spo...more I've been exploring the local farmer's market recently, coming home with vegetables I have no idea how to cook. When I look up recipes on the internet, they invariably include olive oil as the first ingredient. Pour in some oil, mince some garlic, saute some onions, and you're in business: This is the lesson I have learned. Alternately, just rub olive oil, salt, and pepper over whatever vegetable you have on hand, roast it in the oven for 45 minutes, and there's your side dish. It's a little spooky. Like a magic potion. How did I not realize that olive oil had such mysterious power before?

Because of these recent revelations I was thrilled to see "Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil" on the shelf. It begins with beautiful, sensuous descriptions of olive oil and its history in the Mediterranean. More than 4,000 years of history can be found in each and every bottle of olive oil. But what might also be found in those bottles is a deception. The story quickly turns to underhanded dealings and adulterated oils. Since the time of the Romans people have been trying to pull a fast one by mixing olive oil with various seed oils, which are cheaper to make. In fact, the author argues that most oil labeled "Extra Virgin" is nothing close. To truly meet that standard it must pass a rigorous battery of taste tests, which it rarely does. You can read in the book of the many small farmers trying to make a profit and stay honest in this cut-throat world.

Even with all of this downbeat news, my mind still wanders to the olive groves of Italy, California, Spain, and Australia. The passion of the people who grow the olives and turn them into oil is contagious. It's not just a condiment, it seems. Olive oil is a lifestyle for these people. If you'd like to find out more about olive oil, from it's origins to the bottles lining your supermarket shelves, check out this book.

It even gives you some tips and sources on buying the best olive oil you can find. (For instance: The color of the oil doesn't matter so much, but the bottle should be of dark glass.)

If your stomach is rumbling for some, check out these books on cooking with olive oil.(less)

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Jan 11, 2013 Don Becher rated it 3 of 5 stars

More than you probably ever wanted to know about olive oil. One of those books that might have been done as a long magazine article, so becomes somewhat repetitious. That said, I did learn:

• About the history and historical uses of olive oil.
• About the growing, harvesting and processing of olive oil.
• How genuine extra virgin olive oil should taste.
• Most olive oil sold as “extra virgin” is not.
• A high percentage of olive oil sold is adulterated with other oils and low quality olive oil.
• Over...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 08, 2011 Gail Kavanagh rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you ever had the sneaking suspicion that the words ‘extra virgin’ on olive oil is a load of old cobblers, pat yourself on the back. Your consumer’s BS meter is working fine.

I certainly feel more educated in consumer BS of all kinds after reading Tom Mueller’s Extra Virginity, about the marketing of olive oil and the somewhat liberal interpretation of the meaningless phrase ‘extra virgin’. Blatted about by enthusiastic celebrity chefs slurping olive oil over everything and pronouncing it the b...more If you ever had the sneaking suspicion that the words ‘extra virgin’ on olive oil is a load of old cobblers, pat yourself on the back. Your consumer’s BS meter is working fine.

I certainly feel more educated in consumer BS of all kinds after reading Tom Mueller’s Extra Virginity, about the marketing of olive oil and the somewhat liberal interpretation of the meaningless phrase ‘extra virgin’. Blatted about by enthusiastic celebrity chefs slurping olive oil over everything and pronouncing it the best thing since balsamic vinegar (and let’s not go there) ‘extra virgin’ is one of the most overworked phrases in the culinary arts. What does it mean exactly?

According to the IOC (that’s the International Olive Council, not the International Olympic Committee) ‘extra virgin’ means oil that is made solely by mechanical methods, isn’t chemically treated, and does not have ‘flaws’, tastes and odors such as smoke, mold and so on. This is followed by the lesser grade – virgin – which can be refined, ‘purified’ or otherwise have everything that makes it olive oil taken out, and the lowest grade, lampante, which is OK for burning in oil lamps and industrial use, but ‘unfit for human consumption’. Unfortunately for the IOC, a toothless tiger if ever there was one, there is apparently no way of enforcing the ‘extra virgin’ rule, so any old lamp oil can be sold as extra virgin, and usually is, with most consumers none the wiser.

Reading through Extra Virginity is quite an adventure, as well as an eye opener. Mueller introduces the reader to a range of colorful characters and romantic locations involved in the business of olive oil, from Tuscany to Western Australia, where the production of ‘real’ extra virgin olive oil is something of a religion – an ‘obsession’ Mueller prefers to call it – and may make WA the safest place to buy the stuff.

Certainly the book is scathing about ‘supermarket’ olive oil, which fills the shelves in a range of fancy labels, bottles and prices. While the celebrity chefs may be splashing about expensive oils of unimpeachable pedigree (and provided free of charge), most of us are at the mercy of the supermarkets, where it seems that even price is no guarantee of quality. The supermarket oils are old, rancid and fit only for burning the midnight oil, according to Mueller. Even though we may find the taste acceptable, that’s probably because it has gone through so much refinement, deodorising and false flavouring that it is no longer recognizable, and is as fake as a soapie star’s lips.

Mueller does offer some guidelines for making sure you are not being ripped off, but on the whole he paints a fairly depressing picture of the industry, and that heretofore innocent bottle of greenish liquid on your kitchen counter. Mueller leaves the reader feeling that any health benefits from olive oil have been utterly lost in the race for quick profits, and you’d be netter off just buying a jar of olives. But he does it in a very entertaining way, making Extra Virginity a great read even if you prefer canola, or Heaven help us, lard.

My thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

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Apr 18, 2013 Tom rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A fascinating book about the olive oil world, a place as murky as a balsamic vinaigrette.

It is fascinating and disheartening that the, apparently, most regulated food product in the world has the most rampant corruption and false-labeling issues. Issues that have been documented in Roman times and earlier cuneiform tablets. The American market appears both particularly rife with this potentially dangerous issue. However, the size and vibrancy of the same market offers the hope of redemption in...more

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May 09, 2012 Ken Kugler rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have to start by saying that I almost gave up on this book. The reason is that the author, Tom Mueller, was trying to use lyrical language that was driving me nuts. It was only when he got past the first 30 pages or so that he started telling his story of olive oil and the problems with lax controls on what is called Virgin and also where the oils are actually from. He also spoke of the problems with adulterated oils and centrifuging impurities out. He also used examples of trials what involve...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: noteworthy-nonfiction

Tom Mueller has written an astonishing book about the not so nice side of olive oil. Much of what is on supermarket shelves is not extra virgin but adulterated oil (many not even made with olives but some kind of seed oil). The fraud is worldwide and much of it is sold in the United States. Fortunately, there are still artisans producing magnificent oil and they are the ones to purchase the oil from.
The taste should be peppery, fruity and bitter and should have a pleasant, clean feeling in the...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Danny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, library-book

I gotta admit, this should probably be a three-star book, but the descriptive passages of the first section carried me through the rest of the book with boring science and politics and conversations about adulterated food supplies.

Seriously, though, we should probably all be worried about how easy it is to adulterate the food supply.

But after you're done worrying about that (and alerting your congress-persons) come with me on a sensual journey...no...wait...let me rephrase that...join me on a jo...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Peter Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think I learned more in reading this book about the 'alleged' Extra Virgin Olive Oil I've been using for the entirety of my life (which, it's apparent, I have never actually tasted 'real' EVOO despite what the bottles say) than I ever knew I didn't know.

I adored this book and there were countless items I wanted to share with the world so, suffice it to say, you should read all of it. Loved the fact that there are actual recommendations at the back of the book of how to actually buy quality EVO...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Nicole Handy rated it 2 of 5 stars

It probably isn't fair that I only give this two stars because I only read the first 50 pages or so. I did learn that the EVOO world is not actively regulated by the FDA and that most of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil we consume is rancid and not even Olive Oil. The book was a little too wordy--with lots of Italian that I didn't understand--and I lost interest. Maybe I should have skipped ahead to the scandals of the EVOO world, but instead I flipped to the back and made sure that bottle of Extra Vi...more

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Jan 27, 2012 Zachary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Becoming passionate about something is easy. These days, craft beer, fine wine, gourmet coffee, and artisan cheeses are all the rage. Tom Mueller's obsession is olive oil. After finishing 'Extra Viriginity,' I can see why. Mueller describes the journey olive oil takes, both through human history and from the grove to the bottle to the table. Unfortunately, the olive oil industry is rife with fraud and misleading packaging, make true extra virgin oil hard to come by. But when oil is good, it's re...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Carolyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: food

Oh my! I will never look at oil the same way again. I feel as if I've been inaugurated into some mysterious olive oil cult. The way he combines the science of olive oil, the current frauds and scandals, historical frauds and scandals, the sacred nature of olive oil, and how it is currently made is masterful. The book is wonderfully written. Each of the people I met in the book still lives in my head and heart. I find myself thinking in olive oil tasting terms as I eat my luscious olive oils with...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Angel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: business-and-economics, foods-and-epicurious, history

I did not rate it higher because there are few long passages that slow down the reading pace. Plus, yes, I got the point there is a lot of fraud and bad oil out there, and that the powers that be, who benefit from the status quo, will not do squat to change it; after a while, that point got repetitive.

Having said, the best parts of this book for me where the ones dealing with the history of olive oil, which does have a very fascinating history. I also learned how the trees grow and what it take...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Julianne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Extra Virginity traces olive oil across 4 continents and thousands of years -- quite a lot of ground to cover! But Mueller manages to do it, all while exposing the sad fact that the "extra virgin" label in most supermarkets has become worthless. Many (if not most) olive oils marked "extra virgin" are mixed with inferior grades of olive or even other types of oils altogether. Labels strewn with Italian pastoral imagery is merely bottled in Italy, not grown or even made there. Words like "Pure" an...more

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May 28, 2012 Desiree rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

The fraud and pretty much entire lack of regulation described in today's olive oil market is outrageous. Mueller weaves history and more scientific descriptions together with the tale of oil adulteration and fraud nicely, though sometimes I wished for more of one or the other. This messy state of affairs for consumers is what really made an impact, so I was happy to see the appendix with info on how to find reputable supplies of olive oil.

A few quibbles Which take it from 4 to 3 stars, well 3.5...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Ray rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting expose on the olive oil industry. I had heard, off and on, that much if not most of the extra virgin olive oil we buy is a much lower quality olive oil, not warranting the label or the price. This book, "Extra Virginity", explains that and much more about olive oil and the olive oil business. To me, the subject would have been adequately covered in a newspaper series or magazine article, and the book was a bit long for the subject. Nonetheless, Mueller presented a lot of interesting...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Andie Murray rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: food, nonfiction

I downloaded the kindle version of this book after hearing Tom Mueller on NPR. It was a mostly interesting story about the adulteration of the world-wide olive oil industry, but was lacking in a few important areas.

This book was well-written and certainly engaging to read. I enjoyed learning more about how olive oil is made and how the term "extra virgin" has become close to meaningless for many oils. The author spoke to several olive oil producers all over Europe and included a lot of interesti...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio-books

Love non-fiction, loved this one. This fantastic tale of olive oil skillfully navigates from ancient uses of olive oil to the modern business and the long history of fraud. Clearly the book is biased toward small producers, but honestly so am I. Most of the book is focused on the traditional areas of production (Greece, Italy, Spain) with only the last few chapters coming into California and Australia.

Overall a very nice mixture of historical background and current affairs. I have already recomm...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Gil rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very well-written and easy to follow with the makings of a captivating read. When an author has mafiosos, big businesses, healthcare, and food to draw from, he can go in so many directions. Mueller does a great job of keeping this subject interesting by using first hand accounts, scientific data, and (to my pleasant surprise) poetry. Olive oil no doubt has much historical significance, which this book points out, citing the fact that all major world religions are rife with olive oil symbolism an...more Very well-written and easy to follow with the makings of a captivating read. When an author has mafiosos, big businesses, healthcare, and food to draw from, he can go in so many directions. Mueller does a great job of keeping this subject interesting by using first hand accounts, scientific data, and (to my pleasant surprise) poetry. Olive oil no doubt has much historical significance, which this book points out, citing the fact that all major world religions are rife with olive oil symbolism and allegories.

Mueller also points out the many historical uses that olive oil has, as well as things that the Mediterranean culture has used olive oil for that I didn't know were uses (ointments and open wounds, for example).

I read a book about the Mediterranean diet that cited several scientific studies which studied the people in the Mediterranean region and cited their low heart attack statistics, as well as their longevity. This book was scientific and although they attributed their diet to olive oil, I don't think they understood that "Extra Virgin" olive oil is easier to obtain in the Mediterranean regions than in the U.S.

Basically, most of the extra virgin olive oil that is imported into the U.S. is NOT extra virgin olive oil. According to Mueller's sources, about 1 in 33 bottles that is labeled "Extra Virgin" indeed actually is "Extra Virgin." About 7 or 8 of the 33 (and I might be botching the stats here) are actually "Virgin" while the rest should be labeled "Lampante" or lamp oil, since it does not meet the qualifications for "Extra Virgin." The book explains that since Italy cannot produce but a fraction of the millions of gallons of "Italian olive oil" it produces, there is widespread manipulation in the olive oil industry. I think if you know anything about consumer consumption, you already sort of realized that was true.

I concluded while reading this book that the best way to get Extra Virgin olive oil if you are in the U.S., is to buy California olive oil from small producers who fully document their oils. Try a few before deciding which one to stick with. You will certainly be glad you shopped around. Good oil is about twice the price of normal olive oil, but since the health benefits are legion, I think this is an important staple in our diet, or at least should be. My sister-in-law lived in Italy, and she said their food guide pyramid has olive oil at the bottom, where we have bread and grains. Who knows if that's true.

Some thoughts about olive oil. Olive oil is very similar to juice. Other vegetable oils are derived from seeds, requiring long and drawn out extraction methods, typically using a chemical called Hexane. See: http://www.hyfoma.com/en/content/food...

Meanwhile, the olive oil is simply pressed--the same way it has been for 5,000 years (or the oil is extracted using a centrifuge, requiring no chemicals). If you are purist like me, and refuse to drink orange juice that isn't hand squeezed and served to you within about 10 minutes, then you appreciate the simpler, non-chemical extraction methods.

This book will enlighten all who read it.

Update. Still love this book. While reading this book (I became mired in work and periodicals this month so I wasn't able to read this book in a timely manner). Since I spent so long on this book, I was able to sample about 15 or so different varieties of Olive Oil. Incorporating the techniques discussed in this book, I am not easily able to tell the difference between extra virgin olive oil which has been adulterated and that which has not. Before this book, I could tell high quality oil from low quality oil (everyone can), but I couldn't tell between adulterated and unadulterated. I didn't know to look for the burn, the bitterness, the pungency, etc. In my very small sample-size of 15 bottles (but come on--this is 15 bottles in just over one month!), it didn't matter if it was labeled with a harvest date, color, or price. I found adulterated oil in many shapes and varieties.

I have purchased 6-7 bottles of locally-produced California olive oil with harvest dates which were excellent. Two of them are life-changing. One, from the California Olive Ranch, was one of the best I had ever tasted and woke me up at 5:00 a.m. one morning with a hunger craving (something very unusual for me). The next one was a blood orange extra virgin from the OliveVineyard.com in Agoura Hills. My friends think I'm a freak because olive oil is all I can talk about these days. My wife is mad at me because I threw away what she thinks is a "perfectly fine bottle of EVOO." Once she reads this book she'll understand. You can't afford the calories of bad oil.

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Dec 23, 2012 Dale rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

This is a really disturbing book. If you like olive oil it will shake your confidence in your own perceptions, and make you wonder whether you've been using lamp oil and calling it EVOO. This is a story of organized fraud perpetrated by some of the world's largest food companies, with the connivance of the Italian government and various European agencies, and with the willful blindness of US regulators. And not fraud on a small scale, either: this is about possibly 60% of oil labeled as 'extra v...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Breedeen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Easily the best book on olive oil I've ever read.

Okay, so it's the only book on olive oil I've ever read. Still, this was a excellent foray into the world of making olive oil. It certainly made me want to go rush out to the nearest olive oil shop and start tasting away.

The writing is informative, with a poetic undertone, which worked well to keep me engaged. Mueller clearly has the "oil bug" that he mentions in the book, and his love of good olive oil shines through on every page. There was no...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Melissa Brenneman rated it 3 of 5 stars

How dismaying to think that I may be consuming chemically treated seed oils in what I think is olive oil, and that I can't even trust most good restaurants to take care about knowing what's really in the "olive oil" they buy in bulk to serve to diners. Most of us probably are not getting virgin olive oil, much less extra virgin, when that's what it says on the outside of the container. This book explains why it's so important. Beyond the fact that consumers are getting ripped off, it's that the...more

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About Tom Mueller

Tom Mueller writes for The New Yorker and other publications. He lives in a medieval stone farmhouse surrounded by olive groves in the Ligurian countryside outside of Genoa, Italy.

see also
http://www.truthinoliveoil.com/

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Books by Tom Mueller

The Wisconsin 3,800: Our Men and Women Buried or MIA in the Lands They Liberated in World War II

The Last Link: Dakota Territory, Logan County, 1887: Old North Dakota Memories: The Weispfennings and Muellers: Our Early American Experiences in Dakota Territory

GIS Applications in Agriculture, Volume 4: Conservation Planning

Heart of the Century: 1949 to 1951, Korea, the Shadow of a Third World War...and Everyday Life in the Daily Newspaper

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Quotes from Extra Virginity: The S...

“It says what every olive oil says: 100 percent Italian, cold-pressed, stone ground, extra virgin..."

He shook his head, as if unable to believe his eyes. "Extra virgin? What's this oil got to do with virginity? This is a whore.” — 2 people liked it

“Once someone tries a real extra virgin -- an adult or a child, anybody with taste buds -- they'll never go back to the fake kind. It's distinctive, complex, the freshest thing you've ever eaten. It makes you realize how rotten the other stuff is, literally rotten. But there has to be a first time. Somehow we have to get those first drops of real extra virgin oil into their mouths, to break them free from the habituation to bad oil, and from the brainwashing of advertising. There has to be some good oil left in the world for people to taste.” — 2 people liked it

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Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil

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