How do you choose olive oil and how do we find out if it is fake?

It creates magic in every dish or salad, one of the most fake products you can buy in good faith and its brand is strong not only in Hanukkah: everything you wanted to know about olive oil.

Not all olive oils are of high quality, and it is important to know how to choose quality olive oil. Here are some tips:

• • Extra virgin olive oil: Produced by cold pressing without heat or chemicals, and retains all the health benefits.

• • expiration date: The quality of the oil decreases over time. Choose fresh olive oil as much as possible.

• • Production place: High quality olive oil is produced in regions such as Spain, Italy, Greece and Israel. Israeli olive oil offers the advantage of freshness thanks to short transportation, and contributes to the local industry.

• • color The olive oil does not indicate its quality, but is influenced by the variety of olives: green from green olives, yellow and light from black olives.

• • there is store The olive oil in a cool and dark place, in a dark glass bottle or in a tightly closed stainless tin box.

How do we identify fake olive oil?

Olive oil is one of the most counterfeited products in the food sector, mainly for economic reasons. Here are several ways to identify real olive oil:

• • smell and taste: A tingling sensation in the throat indicates freshness and the presence of healthy ingredients.

• • The refrigerator test: Pure oil will solidify (but not congeal) on cooling.

• • Acidity level: Less than 0.8% in excellent virgin.

• • Label and packaging: Look for a cold pressed label.

• • reputation and price: Prefer well-known manufacturers and beware of an extremely low price.

And finally, even though oil is seen as a cause of obesity, it is important to understand – although olive oil is rich in calories (about 120 calories per tablespoon), its controlled consumption as part of a balanced diet is not only not harmful, but also contributes to the health of the heart and blood vessels, helps in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and provides essential fatty acids.