Let me introduce myself, my name is Francesca Bajlo and I am passionate about olive oil.

Passionate, because I found that the world of olive oil has given me a lot, from the taste and smell of incredible oils, the introduction to other products like wine, to meeting a lot of interesting people from all over Italy, and more, all over theworld.

In this blog I just want to share with you some of my experiences, maybe it will get you inspired, or at least curious.

For a lot of people olive oil is a product for daily use, a commodity. Which of course is fine, but if you dig a bit deeper you will find that there is so much more to this product. And, if you really do dig even further you realise that there are some amazing products around, but also, let’s say….”less wonderful” products ….. A couple of weeks ago I had a tasting session at Lago di Garda and apart from enjoying the stunning landscape I met some great people. One lady in particular told me a story about how differently one can experience quality. The lady’s boss has a small numbers of olive trees and every year he harvests them and creates his own oil. The oil is meant as a present for his employees, family and friends. The lady brought the oil for tasting in our panel. The verdict was unanimous, this oil is absolutely horrible, tastes like dirt and smells like…. well don’t think this is the place to use that word. The lady was relieved, she was right all the time, but since it is a gift from the boss…… how to tell him this without insulting him. It shows that these things are always a matter of taste. Even the most horrible products can be liked by individuals. That is also a difficult issue in tasting panels. They actually have to rule out personal preferences. Panels are there to look for so called defects in the oil. Did something go wrong in the process, what is the quality of the olive, what is the time span between harvesting and production…..? Just a few elements in the process that can go wrong and cause a defect. The oil from “the boss” obviously had a lot of defects, which in the real world makes it unfit for consumption. Not that it is unsafe, it is just far off the standard we set for quality. Also the market for this product is very small, very very small. In this case 1, yes …. the boss himself.

The great thing of being part of these tasting sessions is that you meet a lot of people that are passionate about food. In the same session I met a young guy that made it his life goal to produce biological wines, a small cantina but with an excellent quality in wines. So from talking about olive oil, the subject of conversation can easily switch to wines, the secret of a good salami and how to create the world’s best focaccia. And it doesn’t stop at the Italian borders either, people from all over the world can join in. We had guests from South Africa, The US, Singapore, and …. even from Hawaii. All with their own cultural background and personal opinion on what is a quality oil. Lots of positive discussions, lots of tasting, lots of learning. What a great way to spend your saturday.

As I said, I am inspired and passionate about what the world of olive oil can bring us. Please, next time you visit your local supermarket, have a look at the vast range of oils… and try another oil for a change, try different flavours for different dishes. Let your nose and taste butts lead you. Enjoy that journey and try to imagine what stories may lay behind these.

In the meantime, I will continue collecting these stories and facts around olive oil. If you like to join me in this, share your experience at fbajlo@gmail.com. You might find your story back in my blog.

It is my dream to inspire you and to join me in the wonderful world of olive oil, I promise you, there is so much out there you still haven’t experienced.