It seems the latest scandal in the gourmet food world is fake Italian “virgin” olive oil. A new expose reveals that most Italian olive oil is a far cry from virgin, and certainly from “extra virgin,” laughs the Countess du Ruel. Virgins are few and far between these days, even the bottled variety. Not only that, most Italian olive oil isn’t from Italy.

I don’t know how many of you will remember the Parmaesan cheese scandal twenty years back? It was discovered that shavings from goat hooves from Sicily were being sold at phenomenal prices as Parmaesan. Now it turns out that most Extra Virgin Italian olive oil is really Spanish or Tunisian, and only the green bottle comes from Italy.

Italy produces only 300,000 tonnes of olive oil per year. Domestic demand is 600,000 and 400,000 for export. So 700,000 tonnes of “Italian” olive oil a year is not from Italy. And not only that, most of what is sold as “extra virgin” is diluted with cheaper lampante oil, which has no health benefits and comes from windfall olives. Pretty labels with names of imaginary producers are common on our shelves. Legally “extra virgin” oils must pass strict requirements. Like wild salmon and chanterelle mushrooms extra virgin is a gourmet commodity.

Mueller lives in Liguria and he knows his olive oil. He suggests we need to scrutinize “Made In Italy” products, and stop all the fuss about extra virgin. Perfectly good olive oils come from Morocco and Tunisia. Made in Italy is no longer a guarantee of quality. It may just be a disguise for impure products. Very sad, indeed.

— Countess du Ruel