The Myths about Bertolli Olive Oil: Debunked

MYTH 1: Bertolli is an Italian Olive Oil.

FALSE.

While Bertolli olive oil is packaged in Italy, the majority of the olives come from Spain or other countries. Only about 20% of their olives come from Italy.

(Source: Extra Virginity, by Tom Mueller)

MYTH 2: Bertolli’s Olive Oils that are marketed as “Extra Virgin” are, in fact, extra virgin.

FALSE.

In a study conducted by the UC Davis Olive Center, the Bertolli “Extra Virgin” Olive Oil did NOT meet any of the three standards used to test “Extra Virgin” quality, including standards set by the USDA and the IOC (International Olive Council). Instead, the oil only achieved “virgin” grade status, which implies a much lower quality. This means that Bertolli has been defrauding the public with their misleading advertising. Frankly, I’m surprised that there haven’t been any repercussions for Bertolli. They are flat-out lying about the quality of their olive oil.

While the government has chosen to ignore this blatant, misleading advertising (which should be illegal if it isn’t already), you can do your part to stop food fraud by boycotting Bertolli brand foods.

(Source: UC Davis Olive Center)

I'm not just trying to pick on Bertolli, though. As you can see on the chart, supermarket megabrand Filippo Berio also markets its oil as extra virgin, when by two separate standards it should be labeled as just virgin. 

For the full report by the UC Davis Olive Center, click here.

MYTH 3: Despite all this, Bertolli is still a good-tasting olive oil.

FALSE.

I’ll admit, this one is mostly my own opinion. But if you’ve ever had good quality olive oil, you’d know that Bertolli is a tasteless, inferior “oil” (I wouldn’t even give it the word “olive” in its label) that should really just be used in oil lamps (called lampante in Italy).

As defined by the International Olive Council, the three main flavors in a genuine extra virgin olive oil should be (to varying degrees):

1.       Pepperiness

2.       Bitterness

3.       Fruitiness

A flavorless, bland olive oil is by definition not extra virgin. If you don’t believe me, go buy a bottle of Bertolli and taste for yourself. Is it peppery? Do you taste any hint of fruit? Is it bitter? While these terms are undoubtedly subjective, anyone with taste buds can tell that Bertolli olive oil has no clear taste of any of the three IOC flavor profiles.

If you're still skeptical, go online to McEvoy Ranch’s website. (They are an olive oil producer out of Petaluma, California; cultivating Italian olive varietals.) Purchase a bottle of their Olio Nuovo, wait for it to arrive in your mail, then taste it alongside Bertolli’s oil. I don’t think anything else needs to be said.

For a list of great olive oil providers in North America, click here.

Note: While reading Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller, I read about how large olive oil companies would sue outspoken food critics (and even experts) for criticizing their products. So, despite the scientific evidence that points to Bertolli’s misleading advertising and obvious inferiority, I would like to state that this is my OPINION only. You can deduce the truth for yourself.

(Basically­ – please don’t sue me for libel, olive oil companies!)

Restaurant Review: Hana Sushi

Today I went to Hana Sushi, a kind of "hidden gem" near my hometown. I had personally never tried it before, but a friend of mine swore by their sushi.

When I say it's a hidden gem, I mean it– it's sandwiched in between an indistinct Asian grocery store and a cliché Chinese takeout place. Hana Sushi's interior was small, with only six or seven tables. But what they lacked in décor, they made up for in deliciousness.

For my sushi, I ordered:

1. Black Dragon roll: spicy shrimp roll topped with eel and avocado (right); and
2. "Year End" Special roll: spicy tuna and crab roll topped with smelt roe (left)

(If you haven't guessed by now, I like spicy foods)

For my main course I ordered a bento box:

1. Teriyaki Chicken
2. Vegetable and Shrimp Tempura
3. Shrimp Shumai (a type of dumpling)
4. And, of course, white rice

The tempura and teriyaki were pretty standard, but the shrimp shumai dumplings were amazing. But the star of the show was, without a doubt, the Black Dragon roll. It was the best sushi I've ever had. I hope to try more of their offerings in the future, but I'm sure the Black Dragon will always be my favorite!

Swirl It!

I recently read a blog post about Swirl It!, an app that recommends wines based on ones you've already tried. Naturally, I had to download it.

This is how it works: When you're drinking a bottle or glass of wine, you search for the wine on the app (whether you're at a restaurant or at home), or you add it if it's not already in the database. 

Then, once you've found your wine, you either "swirl" it (if you liked it) or "spit" it (if you didn't).

After you've swirled and spat a few wines, the app starts recommending wines it thinks you'll like based on your palate. 

Seeing as I haven't yet bought any of my recommended wines, I don't know how accurate the app is... but it's certainly a fun way to keep track of the wines you've tried!

Movie Review: Bottle Shock

Tonight I watched Bottle Shock, which tells the true (albeit dramatized) story of an underdog Californian Chardonnay that won the 1976 "Judgement of Paris" blind tasting.

Steven Spurrier, a British wine enthusiast living in Paris, decided to host a "blind tasting" of Californian and French wines. Traveling to California to select the American wines, he came across Chateau Montelena, a struggling vineyard in Napa Valley. 

A shot of the Chateau Montelena Vineyard from the movie

He chose their 1973 Chardonnay for the tasting, which was held in Paris with French tasters. Against all odds, Chateau Montelena's wine won the competition, beating some of the "best" French wines by the most well-known producers. 

While the movie apparently took many creative liberties with the characters and chain of events, the Judgment of Paris was considered the pivotal moment that put American (specifically Californian) wines on the international map. 

A bottle of the famous 1973 Chardonnay is now held in the Smithsonian Museum, as a testament to the American wine industry's ability to compete with one of the world's oldest wine producing countries.