Autumn has arrived and everyone is talking about ‘new oil’. But what does this term refer to and what makes this product so precious? New oil is the first oil obtained from the first olives of the new olive harvest, which occurs precisely with the arrival of the cold season.
Freshly pressed oil has unique characteristics and is a product that is at its full potential. If red wine on the one hand, the older it gets, the better it improves, it works the other way round for extra virgin olive oil: the younger it is, the richer its aromas and flavours, the more intense and strong its taste and the higher its polyphenol and vitamin content.
When to buy it?
The best time to buy new oil is immediately after the first harvest, the timing of which depends both on the type of olive and its purpose.
Generally, however, the right season for harvesting drupes is from late September to mid-November and consequently, these are always the right months to buy new oil.
It depends on taste…
Be careful though! Before buying new oil, its unique taste must be taken into account.
New oil has an intense, enveloping aromatic profile and, being freshly pressed, has two indicators of its freshness: pungency and bitterness. This is why one tends to use new oil for less elaborate recipes, dishes where its profile can be released freely…
