Olive Oil

The province of Jaén can justly claim to be one of the biggest producers of olive oil in the world. You only have to drive between Baeza, Úbeda and Cazorla to discover what I mean - mile after mile of rolling olive groves stretch out as far as the eye can see.

This oil from Jaén was traditionally sold in bulk to companies from other parts of Spain and the rest of Europe, but local businessmen are beginning to realize that they have an exceptional product on their hands if they start to bottle and market it themselves. Olive oil can be as complex as wine - numerous varieties (Picual is the most widespread one in this area) and styles exist, so it's a question of marrying your personal taste to a product.

D.O.s are Denominaciones de Origen, and have sprung up all over the province, perhaps the most widely available in Úbeda and Baeza being oils from D.O. Sierra de Cazorla and D.O. Sierra Mágina, although D.O. Campiñas de Jaén and D.O. Sierra de Segura may also be found. One key point is that D.O. oil is only Extra Virgin, but what does this term actually mean?

Let's have a look at the different categories of olive oil that exist on the market:

Aceite de oliva refinado: a product that's made just from refined oil. You can't get anything much more basic than this in terms of aroma and taste

Aceite de oliva: this term causes confusion among foreign consumers of olive oil, who mistaken think it's top-notch. In fact, this is actually a pretty ordinary product. It's a mixture of refined and virgin olive oils.

Aceite de Oliva Virgen: this oil hasn't been refined and has only been obtained mechanically, although it's not the best, which is...

Aceite de Oliva Virgen Extra: the difference between Virgen and Virgen Extra is the acidity involved (i.e. lower in the latter case), thus drawing out the height of complexity in flavours and aromas

The seal of a D.O. guarantees that the contents of the bottle are what they state on the label and do come from that area. Just as with other products such as hams and wines, it's usually worth paying a bit extra for a D.O. product.

If the above has encouraged you to splash out on a bottle or two of special oil, you've got several options: many top-end restaurants carry a wide range that you can taste for a price, as mentioned here while certain shops who specialise in them are detailed here.