Much ado about nothing. That is olive oil?

To put it simply, its taste is unique and has had the benefit of 3,000 years of complimentary food development. So, for example, if you want to grease your pan before frying something, feel free to use canola oil. Cheaper, higher burning point and similar health properties. But, if you want to flavor your drained pasta before adding the sautéed vegetables or pesto (can you imagine pesto made with canola oil? You might as well substitute peanuts for pine nuts or spinach for the Basel), try tossing the noodles lightly in extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil is Mediterranean cooking and Mediterranean life; a spice, an herb, a condiment, an unguent, an offering, a philosophy, a trophy and the primary caloric source of energy.

Needless to say, its health properties continue to amaze in a health-driven world and this has turned olive oil consumption on its head. In the United States, olive oil imports rose 15.4% per year from 1981 to 1991 and it is presently used in almost half of almost doubled again since 1993 to 62 million gallons per year, which is definitely a new-world trend. And the same trend holds true for European countries

separated from the Mediterranean by the Alps; olive oil was as exotic to Scandinavian palates before World War II as fresh figs. Now, Nordic grandfathers, having suffered their first heart attack after buttering their bread for sixty years, are asking, 'What exactly is this warm liquid?' Japan, China and Australia are no different.

Let's get a bit technical here. Cholesterol: the mere word drives fear into any middle-aged man's heart. But, as any middle-aged man who's been to the doctor for a checkup can tell you, there are two types of cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, the good) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL, the bad). The LDL cholesterol is cholesterol carried out of the liver by the LDL carrier (the lipoprotein, a fat). The HDL carrier, conversely, is designed to keep the cholesterol soluble in the blood until it comes back to the liver for recycling or waste disposal. It is a very clever system except for one unfortunate thing; the LDL cholesterol oxidizes as it is traveling along and the oxidized particles built a plaque on the walls of your arteries. Deposits like these on your artery walls leads to arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which leads to heart attacks (the most common cause of death) and strokes.

This is where olive oil comes in. It has been proven that mono-unsaturated fats such as olive oil (the highest such in fact) are the most effective in reducing your LDL levels and either elevating your HDL levels or certainly not reducing them. Hurray! As Pliny so aptly said, 'Sip the wine and splash the oil.'

But of course, one must splash the right kind of olive oil. The good news is that it is very easy to identify a premium olive oil. When you smell it, you will have an overwhelming olive fruit aroma. You can further enhance these smells by putting some oil in a small container and warming it with your hands. Next, roll your

tongue a bit and suck in a small amount of oil drawing in a good volume of air at the same time. The back-center portion of your tongue will now look for bitterness (determined by ripeness and variety of olive), a positive characteristic even if it sounds anything but. Finally, the oil goes down into your throat where you judge its pungency. If it's particularly sharp, you might cough, but the peppery bite is proof of fresh oil with healthy olives well-processed.

All these sensations will diminish with time, so, for example, if an oil is too 'peppery', wait a month (even, or especially, with an unopened bottle) and it may very well have mellowed. Of course, nothing excites the olive grower more than the first oil with its strong scent and aggressive bite and a piece of bread toasted over the fire drenched in this fluid accompanied by a steak dressed with the same oil.

So it's the fruitiness, bitterness, and the peppery bite which 'give away' the good variety. And after that, get ready to splash!