Integrative Assignment II – Olive Oil

A simple Caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, pepper, and olive oil.

1. Assumption
   Though I had heard the term “Extra Virgin Olive Oil” and had an idea that it was supposed to be the best kind of olive oil, I never knew what it meant. I also assumed that, whatever it meant, it was an accurate description of the oil. I had also never considered that the olive oil I was used to could actually be a mixture of olive oil and other oils, or that it might not really be Italian.

2. Dish
   The dish I chose is Caprese salad, a dish comprised of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil, and seasoned with salt and olive oil. Variations of this salad can contain other dressings, pesto, balsamic vinegar, olives, other kinds of lettuce, or black pepper.

3. Chemical Analysis
   Olive oil is a liquid, plant-derived fat. This fat is made up of triglycerides, which are comprised of a glycerol backbone and three fatty acids. These can be saturated, with no double bonds, trans-unsaturated, with a trans double bond, or cis-unsaturated, with a cis double bond. Cis-unsaturated fats can be either mono- or poly-unsaturated, depending on the number of double bonds they have. These double bonds change the shape of the fatty acids; saturated fats are straight, trans fats are bent, and cis-unsaturated fats are curled. This curled shape keeps unsaturated fats from stacking closely together and limits the number of Van Der Waals attractions that can form between the triglycerides. Olive oil is primarily comprised of monounsaturated fats, meaning most of its molecules have few VDW attractions due to their molecular structure. This means that amount of energy required to separate the molecules is small, giving it a low melting point, and accounting for its liquid state at room temperature.

4. Cultural Analysis
   Caprese salad is named for the island of Capri, may not actually have originated from there. However, the first recorded instance of it seems to be from the 1920’s, when it appeared on a menu at the Hotel Quisisana in Capri (Italy Heritage). In keeping with Italian attitudes about food, Caprese is not traditionally drenched in sauces, just extra virgin olive oil, which enhances flavor without masking or overshadowing it. Extra virgin olive oil is in itself a complicated ingredient with a history of adulteration for profit. Many bottles of “extra virgin olive oil” are really cut with lampante or other oils, undermining the simplicity and purity of taste that are supposed to come with extra virgin olive oil.

5. Integration
   Olive oil is a liquid fat, and it is this way because of the unsaturated fatty acids it is made of. These are one of the healthier types of fats, but are not incredibly stable, and therefore more difficult to store. Similarly, extra virgin olive oil is fairly healthy, but difficult to produce because it is labor intensive to harvest and requires specific equipment to produce. In attempts to create a more stable version of plant fats like olive oil, scientists created processes that inadvertently create trans fats, which are as unhealthy as saturated fats. Likewise, the adulteration of extra virgin olive oil has degraded its quality and health benefits. In both cases, chemical and cultural, attempts to increase efficiency have resulted in a decrease of quality.

Works Cited

Italy Heritage – http://www.italyheritage.com/traditions/food/insalata-caprese.htm