Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil

Informational, yet a tad boring TruxtonSpangler Being an informational book, this was excellent. The problem with it is that it got repetitive. I understand the author's zeal to right the wrongs of the olive oil industry, and perhaps the story is a one-note song: Everyone's corrupt but for a few souls who are dedicated to get the oil industry right. The trouble with that is that it makes for a slog of a read after awhile. I appreciate Mr. Mueller's knowledge of the subject, his interest in seeing this corrected and his passion for the. Christine H. Farlow said Answered all my questions about EVOO and then some!. This is an excellent book that has more than you'll ever want to know about extra virgin olive oil. The author traveled the world and interviewed key people in the world of olive oil - both sides of the fence. It will answer all your questions about how to tell a good olive oil, which olive oils brands are good. It covers the fraud in Europe, other countries and in the US. The UC Davis Olive Oil Research Center [] is a good reliable resource based here in the US. The book also lists link. The Definitive Book on Olive Oil Code Slinger It is such a shame we have to go through life like marks on a carnival midway; constantly on guard against those who would rob or defraud us. Olive oil is such a wonderful food, but you practically have to be a detective or a chemist to buy the authentic, unadulterated product. This is a wonderful book on olive oil, honest producers and thieves.

. Tom Mueller writes for The New Yorker and other publications. He lives in a medieval stone farmhouse surrounded by olive groves in the Ligurian countryside outside of Genoa, Italy

But what if this symbol of purity has become deeply corrupt? Starting with an explosive article in The New Yorker, Tom Mueller has become the world's expert on olive oil and olive oil fraud-a story of globalization, deception, and crime in the food industry from ancient times to the present, and a powerful indictment of today's lax protections against fake and even toxic food products in the United States. The sacred history and profane present of a substance long seen as the essence of health and civilization. For millennia, fresh olive oil has been one of life's necessities-not just as food but also as medicine, a beauty aid, and a vital element of religious ritual. A rich and deliciously readable narrative, Extra Virginity is also an inspiring account of the artisanal producers, chemical analysts, chefs, and food activists who are defending the extraordinary oils that truly deserve the name "extra-virgin." 25 black-and-white illustrations. Today's researchers are continuing to confirm the remarkable, life-giving properties of true extra-virgin, and "extra-virgin Italian" has

--Darryl Campbell. The road from tree to table, it turns out, is fraught with corruption, fraud, and laboratory interventions. Tom Mueller's Extra Virginity is about as explosive as an expose can get, at least if your subject is liquid fat. Mueller shows how and why the trade in adulterated olive oil is about as profitable as the trade in some hard drugs, and with a lot less risk, too. There are equally entertaining detours into olive oil's long history, the politics of regulation and enforcement, and even debates over the best way to taste it (swirl, aerate, spit, or just swig?). All in all, it's a great read not just for foodies, but also for anyone interested in the complexities of global trade and organized crime. just got a wh