There are various religions and cultures around the globe. As many things are prohibited or not allowed by these cultures, people tend to move according to what their ancestors have been following. Kosher foods are one of those items which are specifically consumed by Jews and they do not like to consume which falls out of this category.
Kosher foods are manufactured according to Jewish dietary regulations ‘Kashrut’. Halakha method is used to obtain meat from animals, thus falling the food under the category of ‘Kosher’, meaning ‘fit’.
Now, let’s talk about extra virgin olive oil, either it is Kosher or not and the depth in it.
Production of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
In our ancestors’ era, the most commonly used item was olive oil. Archeologists found its traces in almost every house back then. People used it to light up their oil lamps, for joint massages, to perfume the skin and for edible consumption. The common meal was bread dipped in olive oil.
The production of olive oil is an easy process. The olives are pressed to extract the liquid from it, in other words, olive juice is obtained. When the juice is allowed to stand for some time, the oil rises to the top and the water along with heavy sediments settle down. Then this oil is skimmed off. This process was effective but very slow and only a minimum amount of oil was extracted.
People updated their oil extraction methods and tried heavy grinding stones and wooden beams for large mass pressing. Later on, centrifuge machines were installed for better oil separation from the rest of the olive’s mass.
Throughout the years, olive oil has fallen under the kosher food category. Why it should not be in this category? It was obtained from olive fruits and was 100% pure olive oil! The question began to rise recently when many varieties of olive oil were introduced in the market and it didn’t remain the purest oil.
Why did the Question begin to Rise on Kosher Olive Oil?
From the 1960s to onward, oil producers began to produce oil from vegetables besides the olive oil. These vegetables are corn, hazelnuts, peanuts, soybeans, cotton seeds, sunflower seeds, coconuts, palm, and cocoa butter. As these vegetables cannot be pressed like olive fruits so heavy processing methods are used.
A lot of heat, pressure and chemical solvents like hexane are applied to extract vegetable oil. The oil, which is obtained is not very good and presentable as they have a high acidic level, foul smell, and bad color. More chemicals are used to neutralize this acidity and deodorization methods to improve the smell of the oil. Then this oil is bleached to improve its color. As so many chemicals are added during this entire process, supervision is definitely required to ensure that all the additives are Kosher and the machinery was clean as well.
Now, the purpose of presenting this vegetable oil production was to give a slight glimpse that how olive oil varieties have been introduced in the market with different flavors and aroma. Except for extra virgin olive oil, there is definitely some addition of additives in the olive oil to shuffle its organoleptic characteristics. Thus, this raised the question that either it is Kosher food anymore or not.
How could anybody tell either the olive oil he is buying is cold-pressed and kosher or heat-processed with chemicals. The International Oil Council has assigned the following grades of olive oil for identification:
- Virgin olive oil is 100% pure oil and is cold-pressed. It is Kosher and does not require any supervision.
- Extra light olive oil has been processed with heat and chemicals and needs kosher supervision.
- Pure olive oil is obtained by combining of extra virgin and refined olive oil, it thus requires Kosher supervision.
The Difference of Kosher Olive Oil
The product can only fall under the category if it contains neither dairy nor meat in it and neither of their derivatives. Meat and dairy are only considered Kosher if it is obtained via the Halakha method.
For olive oil, all other types except virgin olive oil need Kosher supervision. Virgin olive oil is divided into following categories for the ease of Kosher bound people,
- Extra virgin olive oil has an acidity level less than 1%. This type is the excellent and finest one.
- Virgin olive oil has a 2% acidity level, its taste is good but not very fine.
- Ordinary virgin olive oil has an acidity level above 2%. It has not very good taste and is not often used for consumption.
- Virgin lamp olive oil is also kosher but has very bad taste. It is not considered edible and is only fine for lamps and massage use.
As long as the olive oil carries the OU symbol, it is fine for consumption. This symbol ensures that the oil has been produced under Kosher supervision.
Conclusion:
Everything we consume, despite the religion and background we are from, has to be clear and pure. Every product must have all on its label that it has in it without any variation. A lie is not acceptable anywhere.
Specifically speaking, if you are looking out for Kosher olive oil, then it must be pure with the OU symbol. Let’s not look here and there and visit our company, the Spanish oil. We ensure the provision of pure and certified olive oil directly from Spain to all around the world. We only sell what we tell and there are no hidden secrets and lies. You can satisfy yourself with a free visit to our website.
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