While olive oil has been a cooking essential for centuries, this liquid gold is only just coming into its own in Argentina – but with great aplomb. Familia Zuccardi’s olive oil sommelier, Torey Novak, explains.
DEPARTURES: Why is olive oil new to Argentina?
Torey Novak: It’s a new product simply because we’re discovering it now, but it’s been around for about 7,000 years – there are mills that are 4,000 years old in Saudi Arabia and Israel, for example. In Greece and Spain olive oil always been a luxury product, but it’s been a back-burner ingredient. Wine is more romantic: movies are made about wine, for example, but there’s no olive oil château! There’s also no such thing as a native olive tree from the new world – they were first brought to Argentina around 400 years ago.
For the rest of this piece, please visit Departures
Ph: Torey Novak