The view from my room at Villa Serbelloni built in the 15th century, was the picturesque Lake Como and rows of Olive trees. The villa, home to the Bellagio Center of the Rockefeller Foundation grows olive in its gardens, sends the ripe fruits to a small factory who then bottled the product named Villa Serbelloni. This special olive oil is solely for consumption at the Center and as gifts to scholars selected to do their residencies there.

Hence began my passion to know more about olive oil that took me to the Osvaldo Vanini factory in Leno, a small village on the northwest side of Lake Como. Olive oil produced by the Vanini family is served in most restaurants around Lake Como in Northern Italy and fine dining establishments all over the world. Jamie Oliver, the richest chef in the world is said to have drizzled Vanini olive oil in his Italian restaurants.

I posted what I learned from my three weeks stay in Italy in Vanini, Lake Como’s Olive Oil . The blog post, however, was only “the tip of the olive oil iceberg.” I only knew that olive oil is a healthy and deliciously perfect ingredient for fine dining. Apparently there are many stories to olive oil as written by Tom Mueller in his epic book: Extra Virginity. The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil. 

Tom illustrates the cultural, culinary, chemical, and criminal sides of olive oil, topics that made me suggest this as a book choice for The Kitchen Reader, an online food book club that I belong to.

Chapter 1. Olives and Lives, is a dedication to artisanal growers and producers dating back thousands of years, Through stories of the DeCarlos family Mueller informs readers how olive oil is produced through the hard work of generation of families whose young generation is now losing interest due to the challenges involved.

 Photo by Yulia Davidoch/Shutterstock

The crime and scandal in the olive oil business are illustrated in Chapter 2. Oil Bosses, Chapter 4. The Lovely Burn, and Chapter 5. Industrial Oil. It was really frightening to learn that what we thought is extra virgin olive oil has been contaminated sometimes with dangerous substance due to the greed of irresponsible producers and merchants.

An illumination of rituals involving olive oil and some history is covered in Chapter 3. Olives Sacred and Profane, While Chapter 6. Food Revolutions and Chapter 7. New Worlds of Oil describe how health consciousness changed the perception of olive oil, the role of innovative chefs in coming up with culinary creations and new lands to grow olives,

 Photo by Vanini

Extra Virginity is not a textbook, it is knowledge laden yet hard to put down once you read the first few pages. Tom Mueller, who graduated from Oxford University and Harvard University, is a freelance writer who for the last two decades has spent much time in and around the Mediterranean, while contributing to publications including the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, National Geographic, and New York Times Magazine.

 Photo by Valentyn Volkov

The gem of his book, in my opinion, is the Appendix, Choosing Good Oil. Even if you have no time to read the book, at least spend a few minutes to absorb the information here. It is full of resources on what constitutes good oil, where to taste olive oil, how to ensure freshness find fresh bottles, how to store your oil, where to find olive oil research center and websites on extra virgin olive oil.

Extra Virginity, a 288-page book, was published by W.W. Norton in 2013. Tom then created Truth in Olive Oil, a very informative website that answers questions about and beyond the book.

Reading Extra Virginity reminded me of Villa Serbelloni where at elegant dining rooms extra virgin olive oil celebrates the meeting of the minds.

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All images by Omar Niode Foundation, unless otherwise noted