Olive oil is certainly one of the undisputed protagonists of Italian cuisine, it is found in every dish where its main characteristic is the ability to enhance the aromas of the dishes. But how can we choose the most suitable for our needs? First of all, each olive oil is classified according to its attributes, among which fruity (with the characteristic smell and taste of freshly picked fruit), spicy (characteristic of oils produced with still green olives), sweet (pleasant taste which is found when the attributes of bitter and spicy do not excel in it) etc. In addition, some particular oils have more sought-after attributes such as artichoke, a very clear flavor that recalls some nuances of raw tender artichoke.
In addition to the attributes, there are other factors that can help us in the search for the perfect oil for our dish, such as the territoriality, tradition and seasonality of the dishes.
Knowing how to dose the right amount of oil is very important, since the right dosage allows you to give a spicy, sweet or perhaps fresh touch, giving a harmony that enhances the primary flavors of the dish.
Furthermore, cooking is very important, which leads to a degradation of both the aromatic components and the flavor, consequently the choice of oil can make the difference in this sense. Among the oils less suitable for cooking we indicate soybean or corn oil, both particularly rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. One of the most stable cooking oils is palm oil, thanks to the high content of saturated fatty acids (but precisely because of the latter, its consumption is not recommended). The best choice would be olive oil which presents a good compromise between fluidity and resistance; a cheaper but still valid choice compared to olive oil can be peanut oil which has a certain resistance to cooking and a high smoke point.
Therefore, in order to have a general idea of how to combine an oil with a specific dish, one must keep in mind that the fundamental rule consists in combining a complex dish with an oil of equal complexity, with good olfactory intensity and perhaps with more immature and hard as spices and dried fruit. For example, with a refined dish it is good to use a delicate and elegant oil with softer scents such as wild flowers or leaves.
As far as meat is concerned, a good combination could be red meat with an oil with a medium-intense taste-olfactory profile, as the sweeter tendency given by the blood would be contrasted with the more bitter sensations given by the oil; for white meats, which have a more delicate flavour, an excellent combination is with fruity oils with a delicate taste, therefore the bitterness in this case must be contained and elegant.
For fish it is preferable to combine oils with aromatic and delicate scents with sensations of grass and nuts, the bitterness must therefore be moderate without overpowering the mild taste of the fish.
A spicier oil with medium-intense scents is instead particularly suitable for dried legumes, on the contrary instead with legumes eaten fresh, oils with milder and less marked scents are preferable.
Finally, for the pasta (assuming that it is the only ingredient in the dish), it will be necessary to take into account the type of wheat with which it was produced, in fact for durum wheat semolina pasta medium fruity oils are preferable, with fresh and herbaceous with medium-light bitterness and pungency, while for whole durum wheat semolina pasta, with a more persistent flavour, it is better to opt for more intense oils with medium-strong bitterness and pungency.
English version
* taken from the book “Sensory Atlas of food products” Italian Society of Sensory Sciences. Milan, 2012*