Olive Oil Resources
Where to buy, how to use and lots of links
Olive Oil Resources
I receive a LOT of questions about Italian olive oil—on social media, in emails, from friends and relatives. It pretty much goes like this:
How can I tell if this olive oil is good?
Which olive oil should I use for cooking?
Why is this olive oil so expensive?
And the one I get multiple times a day?
Where can I buy good quality olive oil?
I’ve been answering these questions (as well as any others you can think of) for the last 20 years or so in magazines, newspapers, books, blog posts, and, of course, social media. But I decided that it was time for an updated dedicated post, which will bring together my past resources but more importantly, share updated links and information about where you can go right now to buy some of my favorite oils.
I’ve also included:
10 Quick Tips for Better Olive Oil Consumption
5 Recipes That Highlight Olive Oil
Learning About Olive Oil
Even if you think you know a lot about olive oil and how it is produced, there is always more to learn. The first step is obviously reading. Here is a list of good places to start:
My personal olive oil story in Chapter 10 of my book Eating My Way Through Italy.
You can also listen to me chat about olive oil here.
I’ve learned a tremendous amount about olive oil from my good friend Rolando Beramendi. His book, Autentico, contains an information-packed essay (pp. 8-12).
Olive oil producers Skyler Mapes and Giuseppe Morisani wrote an excellent primer, The Olive Oil Enthusiast, on olive oil production in Italy.
Although somewhat dated, Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller tackles many of the issues regarding olive oil fraud in Italy.
Olive Oil Times has a vast archive of useful information and news.
Making Olive Oil
Joining a Harvest
One of the best - and funnest - ways to understand the cultural importance of olive oil in Italy is to visit olive oil producers, hear their stories, and taste their oils. We always make sure to include visits to learn about olive oil during our tours to Puglia, Sicily, and Umbria.
Watching
In case you don’t feel like reading at the moment, here is a fun video to watch of one of our recent harvests up in Umbria.
10 Quick Tips for Better Olive Oil Consumption
There is so much olive oil information out there, including all the links above. I know it sounds like a LOT of homework to get through just to go grocery shopping, so here’s the cheat sheet: 10 of my top tips to lead you in the right direction:
Once you open your bottle of olive oil, use it as fast as possible. Don’t ‘save’ it for a special occasion. Make the occasion happen now. Olive oil starts to degrade once you open it, so use that bottle up within a month to 6 weeks of opening.
Store oil away from light and heat. This means no clear glass bottles sitting by your stove.
Experiment with variety: The only way to learn what olive oil you like is to try it. So rather than buying five bottles of the same olive oil, buy five different varieties. It’s like wine. There is no definitive ‘best.’ It’s all about what you like.
Cook with your oil. All Italians cook with olive oil, with the exception of and only sometimes deep frying. Most Italians will have last year’s olive oil that they use for cooking. So, if you have a half-open bottle from a few months ago, use it!
Dipping your bread in olive oil is not an Italian thing. There are certain instances when olive oil is drizzled on bread - like bruschetta - but it’s not just a thing that gets plopped on the table of restaurants like in the USA.
Olive oil is also a condiment - While it may be rare for Italians to add salt or pepper to a dish at the table, olive oil is a must. Soups, beans, and vegetables almost always get a swirl at the table. So when you see the bottle of olive oil at a restaurant in Italy, know that it’s for the food, not the bread (see tip #5).
Although it may seem like a good idea to opt for a less expensive and bigger tin of olive oil, unless you go through a liter in one or two weeks, the big 3-5 liter tin cans don’t make sense. Once open, the oil begins to oxidize and degrade. The faster you use it, the better it will be. So it’s better to buy 1 liter (or half a liter even) bottles and open them as you need them (The exception is a bag in a box; see the shopping list below).
Read the label: Things to look for on the label include the name of the estate where the olives were grown, the date and year the olives were harvested, and that the olives were crushed using a mechanical process (otherwise, it could be chemical).
Avoid any olive oil sold in a clear glass bottle. Light is no friend to olive oil, so no self-respecting producer of high-quality olive oil will use clear glass bottles.
Buy from trusted retailers. I can’t stress this enough. If you have a local store you know and love, then by all means, trust them and have a discussion about the oils they carry. If not, see my list of trusted resources below.
Buying Olive Oil
True high quality Italian extra virgin olive oil is expensive. There are no special shortcuts that I can share. What I can tell you is where to go to make sure what you are spending a lot of money on is worth it. The following resources in the USA sell only high-quality extra virgin olive oil, many of which I have personally tasted.
Market Hall Foods: All of the Italian olive oils available on this site are imported by Manicaretti and chosen by my friend (and fellow tour host) Rolando Beramendi. Personal favorites include Laudemio (Tuscany) and Tonda Ibleo (Sicily - 2024 harvest coming soon).
Zingermans: I’ve been recommending Zingerman’s since I first met the owner, Ari, over 25 years ago. Here is their page of current Italian olive oils, and although I haven’t personally tried any of them, I know that if Ari approves, then they are 100% trustworthy.
Gustiamo: This online business carries some of my favorite olive oils. Guadenzi is a neighbor up in Umbria, and I love their Quinta Luna. Gustiamo carries their 3 liter bag in a box, which is a great solution since the packaging keeps the olive oil way fresher than any other method. Another favorite is the Traturello from Molise.
olio2go: this online store is one of the most informative and best resources in the USA for olive oils from around the world. Oils that I know and love include Cutrera, Frescobaldi Laudemio, and Olio Verde. Their Olive Oil of the Month subscription is a great way to get to know new oils (and makes a great gift).
Frantoi: Sign up for Frantoi’s newsletter to make sure you are alerted to their next sales date. They have a very unique system and only sell a limited amount of a limited number of olives oil for the current harvest. Once it’s done, it’s done. To make sure you get some of the 2025 harvest, you will have to order next fall, by December 1.
Buying Directly from Italy
There are literally thousands of resources for buying olive oil directly from producers in Italy. The following list only reflects olive producers that I know, can recommend, and that ship to the USA.
Montioni: We love both of the oils Paolo makes in Umbria, both his blend Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva as well as his mono varietal Moraiolo. He has recently come to offer the bag in a box, which is a fantastic deal and will keep it fresh for a long time.
Cavasecca: Diego makes some of my favorite olive oils in Italy on his estate in Sicily. His Firrisa, 100% Tonda Iblea, is my favorite.
Madonna del Latte: Although Leon is better known for his lovely wines, I also am a great admirer of his olive oil. He doesn’t produce a lot, but I always make sure to add a few bottles to any wine order I make.
And here is a post that Sophie made of some of her favorite olive oil accounts to follow on Instagram. Some ship directly:
Cooking with Olive Oil
Here are five favorite recipes: one from me and some from our guest hosts:
Glazed Citrus, Almond, and Olive Oil Cake by Annie Fenn
Grapefruit Pound Cake by Zoë Bakes
Aglio e Olio by Evan Kleiman
Fettunta col Cavolo Nero (Bruschetta with Olive Oil and Tuscan Kale) by Rolando Beramendi
Fennel and Orange Salad by me—even though I’ve shared this many times, it is still one of my favorite things in the world to eat.
If you have any resources you’d like to share, or have more olive oil questions, please leave a comment below.
I live in New York and have been buying my olive oil, usually in 5-liter cans, at https://oliveoillovers.com/. Do you know about them? If so, what are your thoughts?
This post is a treasure trove of information. Thanks for sharing my olive oil cake!