I can still remember the first time olive oil was bought in our house. It was 1998 and things would never be the same again. The splashing, pouring and drizzling of olive oil has become a kitchen reflex now - unconscious, unremarkable and necessary. Along with salt, pepper, milk and teabags, stocks are never allowed to deplete. It is all the more striking then when this familiarity with a product is turned on its head, as though you are tasting it for the first time all over again.
This is exactly what happened when I took delivery of 5 litres of Colletta Olivieri Extra Virgin Olive Oil. If you are someone who thinks one oil has to be much the same as the next, this may be difficult to imagine, but Colletta Olivieri Oil is to your average oil what Rolex is to the Swatch watch. Grown on the hillsides overlooking the Adriatic, the with wild herbs that share the soil with the olive trees infuse it with a complex, aromatic flavour, its texture smooth and buttery. I have, on occasion, simply drank it neat.
The oil is produced by the Colletta Olivieri family in the Puglia region of Southern Italy. I came across it when I happened to be working with Lino Olivieri, who moved to Ireland in 1999 and, more recently, has been kind enough to let me steal his lunch from time to time - he is an excellent cook! All learned from Mama.
There is a clue to the quality of the oil in the name. The family name Olivieri comes from the Latin 'Oliverius' which means 'one who owns olive groves'. As we say more parochially, where would you leave it?
Colletta Olivieri Extra Virgin Olive Oil can be bought by contacting Lino directly (lino.olivieri@gmail.com). This also allows you to say to people, "Oh, I have my olive oil shipped direct from Puglia".
Alternatively you can go to the Goldwater Shop, 17 Terenure Rd North (01 4928110) or pop along to the Dublin Food Co-Op (01-4544258; www.dublinfood.coop) where you might be lucky enough to meet Lino's two gorgeous little daughters, Florence and Sophia.
http://www.olivierioliveoil.com/index.html
