IoS paperback review: Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, By Tom Mueller
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.I'm giving myself extra brownie points for actually possessing some olive oil made by the De Carlo family, one of the Italian producers of quality olive oil who, according to Mueller's fascinating study, are sadly struggling in the face of vastly inferior products, ridiculously low prices of supermarket rivals, and mafia-like corruption of what is now a global seller.
But it's not just that so much of the "extra virgin olive oil" we think is pure and unadulterated actually isn't at all; it's that much of it was never even intended for human consumption, reserved instead for lighting oil lamps. Even olive oil's ancient Italian origins can be obscured by today's statistics: the island of Crete is now the largest consumer of oil per capita, and it is Spain that produces the most.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments