Tuscan Olive Oil – Olio Nuovo
San Leo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
I freely admit it… I am addicted to olive oil. I have always enjoyed it, and while others have their addiction to butter (which I am sorry to say I don’t understand) my love affair is with olive oil. After living in Italy for 5 years, who could blame me? Some people love the Bistecca alla Fiorentina, some are crazy about gelato, but personally… olive oil. Period.
Samples of Olio Nuovo in Florence
On my most recent trip to Florence, I happened to be there for the gathering of olives and the pressing of olio nuovo which literally means “new oil”. A few of the vendors had just pressed their oil the day before the market and it was delicious! They all put out their cold-pressed extra virgin oils for the tasting and you can compare and choose which is your favorite.
A stand at La Fierucola in Florence
Have you ever had olio nuovo? It is not the plain jane olive oil that we get in the States! That is for sure! L’olio nuovo has a bite to it…it is peppery and has a beautiful green color as you can see in the first photo on this page. As you traverse the markets of Florence, sampling the oils on plain Tuscan bread (or with a spoon) you are treated to a completely new experience. You quickly become a connoisseur, recognizing the sweet versus the bitter, and the oils that bite you back!
Samples of olive oil
After tasting about 10 different oils, my final choice was the extra virgin cold pressed olive oil by San Leo (Azienda Agraria San Leo di Bonechi). It was a tough competition because many of the choices were amazing, but I also had to consider transporting this oil home with me since you can no longer bring it in a carry-on… Thanks TSA!
San Leo Olio Nuovo
Now I am home, pouring oil on everything! I love it on my gluten-free toast with tomatoes, salt and pepper…basically the toast is just to transport the oil. It seasons homemade gluten-free pizzas after they come out of the oven, and it is a final addition to cooked greens, just to name a few ideas. I will be sorry when this oil runs out and would love to hear about your favorite brands of oil. Any suggestions on a great one to try in the States? So far I enjoy Napa Valley Naturals and Lucini. I would love some ideas of other great oils to try… Drop me a comment if you have a favorite.
Tags: olive oil
Categories: dairy free, egg-free, gluten-free, indulgent, Life, travel, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-freePosted on Monday, November 29th, 2010. Follow responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
9 Responses to “Tuscan Olive Oil – Olio Nuovo”
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Not only is it amazingly delicious but it also has many many health benefits too! I can’t say I have a favorite but there are many that I love. It really does change the flavor of a dish too. I used to love butter that is until I realized how much better olive oil actually is!
You are right Sara. Olive oil is amazing, and it is nice to know that it is not only delicious, but benefiting my health, skin, hair and more!
I used to LOVE an oil distributed by Fiore, but I just checked their website and it’s unclear if it’s the same, or entirely new products. So the search is on!
Well I will have to check it out! Hopefully they sell it somewhere in Santa Fe…
[…] « Tuscan Olive Oil – Olio Nuovo […]
I do love good olive oil although I am definitely not a connoisseur! The ones of a lovely green shade and grassy flavour are my favourites. thanks for sharing this. Such a beautiful colour that is!
I can’t get enough of Nuovo oliv oil either, I put it on pretty much everything but Ice Cream. We so eagerly wait for the first Nuovo to be pressed to make Fettunta.
We have just imported Olio Nuovo from Monte San Savino (about 1/2 hour from Florence to the USA and are shipping it out of Toledo, OH and have some free shipping deals. Of course I’m biased, but this is the real deal, amazing stuff that I work directly with the farmers to make. We live in Italy and the Italians that have tasted it there have said it’s the best olive oil they’ve ever had, which is a pretty strong statement. Anyway, if you’re interested in checking it out we’re on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/lartedellolivo.com or you can go to our website which is linked on my name. If you have any questions feel free to drop me a line!
Bonjour,
Vous avez une huile extraordinaire.
Comment m’en procurer en Belgique ?
Cordialement
Ciao
Hai un olio speciale.
Come arrivare in Belgio?
Cordiali saluti
Mi dispiace Covolo, pero’ ho comprato quest’olio a Firenze. Non credo che sia possibile ordinarlo via internet.
Christine