Food Gifts: Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegars and More!

With an increasing amount of food programmes now appearing on our screens and with people’s expectations of food increasing, food related gifts are becoming more and more popular. Great gourmet gifts can include olive oil, olives, balsamic vinegars and gourmet food hampers. Such items are products which you are not necessary going to find on the high street which makes the gift more unique to the recipient.

Olive Oils
Olive oil has many benefits. Other than providing a fabulous flavour in cooking, olive oil (particularly pure extra virgin olive oil) has many health benefits, from preventing heart disease, cancer and heart disease to providing beauty benefits for the hair and skin.

There are many varieties of olive trees and therefore the olives and olive oil that are produced. From French, Greek, Spanish and Italian olive oil they make the perfect gourmet gift for the ultimate foodie. The main types of olive oils are:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Obtained from high quality olives, this oil has a strong aroma of the fruit and has less than 1% acidity.

• Virgin Olive Oil: It is made from olives that are slightly riper than those used in the production of extra virgin olive oil.
• Refined Olive Oil: Olive oil known as "refined olive oil" is made by refining the virgin olive oil. The final product is basically a tasteless olive oil.
• Pure Olive Oil: Pure olive oil, usually called just olive oil, comes either from the second cold pressing or the chemical extraction of the olive mash left over after the first pressing. This grade is also called commercial grade oil.
  

Infused oils are also very popular and offer an alternative to the usual types of olive oil. Try varieties such as chilli and garlic, citrus, rosemary, Mediterranean and Spanish thyme infused extra virgin olive oils. Extra virgin olive oils have the most distinct flavour and offer the better health benefits. Therefore, they are considered a luxurious cooking product in any household.
Why not combine an oil drizzler with your chosen olive oil to create the perfect gift. Oil drizzlers come in a range of styles and sizes.

Balsamic Vinegars

There are three types of balsamic vinegar: commercial grade balsamic vinegar, Condimento grade products and authentic artisan balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is perfect used in salad dressings, dips, marinades and to enhance the flavour of steaks and even strawberries!

There are a range of varieties of balsamic vinegars including fruit vinegars and sherry vinegars which are perfect for adding the ‘wow’ factor to a meal or as a gourmet gift.

Traditional balsamic vinegars such as red label balsamic vinegar of Modena is slowly aged in oak casks and has a full mellow flavour. Il Borgo del Balsamico’s Modena Vinegar Yellow Label is carefully aged with a classical, slightly pungent flavour, making it ideal for salad dressing and a product designed for the family’s everyday use.

So there are a number of types to choose from – if you did need more information on the best type to go for make sure you enquire before you buy as such specialist retailers are very knowledgeable about their products and would assist in every way.

Special Foodie Hampers

For the perfect Christmas gift or birthday present why not create your very own individual foodie hamper, full with gourmet goodies. You could fill with specialist balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, dried herbs, an olive oil drizzler and even some specialist pasta. What’s more you could even customise your hamper in terms of regions or countries add a couple of recipes or cook books for that extra special touch.

Il Borgo : ‘Love for the real things of life and the priceless treasure that is time’

Il Borgo del Balsamico Vinegar is produced at Botteghe di Albinea, a small hamlet near Reggio Emilia, in central-north Italy. The old farmhouse and gardens of the Borgo del Balsamico estate speak of age-old traditions and craftsmanship that live on today. Here the rolling countryside of the Emilia Region meets the gentle slopes of the Apennines in an area famous for its Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, salami and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar.

The Borgo del Balsamico concern was started by Cristina and Silvia Crotti’s father - as a hobby that became a real passion. Today the two sisters are continuing the business. Cristina looks after the marketing side while Silvia deals with administrative matters.

“It may sound corny”, she says, “but Borgo del Balsamico all started thanks to our father’s genuine passion for traditional vinegar-making. At the time our family was in the fashion business and my father bought a series of old vinegar-making casks as a hobby. In those days, it was only close friends and relatives who benefited from what he produced. But even then, the product won a series of prestigious awards.”

“Love for our land and the traditions of our forebears; love for the real things of life and the priceless treasure that is time. These are the values that underpin everything we do at Il Borgo del Balsamico. We are firmly resolved to safeguard the authenticity of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar and at the same time make available other products of excellence that are part of Italy’s famed gastronomic traditions.
Our aim is to safeguard the way in which traditional balsamic vinegar is made, broadening appreciation for this product of excellence. At the same time we have developed other quality products that will allow the discerning public to benefit from Italy’s tradition of fine food and wines on a daily basis.”

This is how Cristina Crotti describes the family business. Together with her sister Silvia, Cristina has made it her mission to take one of the marvels of Italy’s gastronomic traditions out into the world, doing so with intelligence, skill and enthusiasm – essential attributes when you take on the world.

The vinegar produced by the Crotti family has been commercially available only since 2004 and we are thrilled to be bringing such a fabulous product to our customers.

Get Oily Stock a huge range of olive oils, buy Il Borgo del Balsamico Vinegar here.

Tasting Olive Oil

With so many olive oils on supermarket shelves, a good and curious cook
might want to compare various types. In additions, a good cook may wish to try to identify their characteristics in order to decide which olive oils are best for cooking, salads, drizzling on dishes or dunking with bread.

There is a wide range of flavours found in extra virgin olive oils. Flavours are determined by several factors including type of olives, ripeness of olives, growing conditions, and oil storage:

• Mild and buttery: These are subtle oils, good for mild dishes such as a simple fish or salad dressing. They tend to be light golden-green.

• Fruity and spicy: You can smell the herbs in these green oils. They are delicious with cooked vegetables and seafood and are easy to love.

• Fruity and peppery: These will get your attention with a long peppery finish. Their assertive flavours are good companions for sandwich fillings, drizzled on garlicky dishes such as pastas, or grilled meats. They are often dark green-gold in colour.

• Full bodied and earthy: Like a big wine, these are big olive oils. Rich mouth-feel with a full flavour characterizes the golden oils.

Tasting olive oil…

Here are some tips on how to taste olive oil:

Firstly, pour a little olive oil (approximately 1 tablespoon) in a small glass. Cover the glass with one hand, shake it delicately with the other until the oil adheres to the entire inside surface. Warm oil in the glass with your hands until it is close to body temperature.

Lift the glass to your nose and sniff rapidly and deeply three time (raising your nose up and away from the oil between each sniff). Olive oils have aromas just like wine. We then tried to analyze the aroma. There really is a difference in aromas!

Tasting: Take a sip (approx. 10 drops into mouth). DON'T SWALLOW! Roll the olive oil around in your mouth for approximately 6 seconds and then spit it out. The oil should touch all areas of the mouth so that the various tastes and sensations can be noted. Then it is spit out.

Between tasting each kind of olive oil, drink lots of water and eat a small piece of bread to cleanse your palate. No wine - just water.