Olive oils
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Our Roman olive groves
Our Constantinae Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made from the finest handpicked olives from the Numidian olive groves, which have been there since the Roman times.
Still today, you can find the remains of Roman stone olive presses all over Numidia, like the round press bases in the images above, in which two semi-circular stones would roll around to press the olives into pulp.
Health benefits
Our GREEN olive oil (Olio di Oliva Verde) is green because it is pressed from green olives, which have not yet fully ripened (olives slowly turn form green to black when they ripen, see images avove). Green extra vergine olive oil was considered by the Romans as the very best quality oil and rightfully so, because it is the healthiest and tastiest olive oil of all !
Green unripe olives in September
Green olives slowly turning black in October
Olives turning black in November
The Romans had 6 olive oil quality grades of which 'oleum ex albis ulivis', which means oil extracted from light, unripe olives, was at the very top. It is more difficult to extract olive oil from the hard unripe green olives and they are more difficult to harvest but their oil has by far the highest naturally occuring anti-oxidant chlorophyll and polyphenol levels of all types of olive oils and the lowest acidity, along with all the other vitamins and minerals prevalent in both our cold pressed regular and green extra virgin olive oil, such as:
- Vitamins: A, E and K
- Minerals: Iron, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium
- Polyphenol anti-oxidants
- Enzymes
- Mono-unsaturated fats
- Amino acids
Polyphenols work as anti-oxidants in the body, meaning they can combat environmental harm such as UV damage and pollution by neutralising the oxygen free radicals in our cells. In addition to their antioxidant activity, polyphenols have many other anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial health benefits. Some studies strongly suggest that diets rich in polyphenols offer protection against development of certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases.
The European Union (EU) allows the use of the following health claims related to cold pressed extra virgin olive oil that are scientifically supported and authorised:
- helps maintain normal blood cholesterol levels.
- contributes to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress.
- helps maintain normal blood pressure levels.
The presence of these polyphenols can be detected in high quality olive oil by its natural grassy, slightly bitter taste and a spicy, peppery sensation in the throat when tasting the olive oil.
Preserving anti-oxidants
Our extra virigin oil is packaged in terracotta jars and tins because this protects the oil from UV-C radiation in daylight, which rapidly breaks down the precious anti-oxidants in extra virgin olive oil.
Amber glass bottles block some of the UV-C radiation of sunlight but not all of it. Coloured plastic bottles, the most common packaging for olive oil, hardly blocks any UV light at all !
This is why we have opted for terracotta and refill tins, bringing you the best possible flavour and ensuring that the anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals remain protected even in a sunny kitchen.
