Yet less than 30 years ago olive oil was relatively unheard of in the US.   It was barely mentioned in the early editions of the Betty Crocker Cookbook and wasn't looked at as an ingredient in cooking until 1973 when Marcella Hazan published her classic book on Italian cooking. Today almost every kitchen on the planet has a bottle of olive oil in their pantry and every grocery store and market an array of oils on their shelves so much so that we may take it for granted. Read more to learn about health, happiness and great dinner with Italian extra virgin olive oil. 

In Italy olive oil is thought of as a gift from the gods. Vases and amphora filled with oil were traded throughout the ancient Mediterranean and by 1400 Italy had become the greatest producer of olive oil in the world. Known for its nutritional benefits, restorative and nourishing skin care properties and the flavors that a good olive oil brings to the table from the simple to the sublime.

With over 2,830,000 acres of land dedicated to growing olives no other product of Italy (with the exception of wine) is as distinctive as Italian olive oil and like wine the taste, aroma and properties of the oil are an expression of the character of the land.

Learn More... at  A_Taste_of_Cositutti_Olive_Oil_Tasting 2 [Autosaved] about olive oil why being extra virgin is better with a travelogue of olive oils from CosituttiMarketPlace.

The interest in and demand for a good quality extra virgin olive oil has never been higher and neither has food piracy. Like a knock-off of a Prada purse there are counterfeit oils falsely labeled as extra virgin and well-known companies claiming the olive oil they are manufacturing, distributing and/or selling is of sufficient quality to call the product extra-virgin olive oil, when in fact it is not.

Made in "the hills of Tuscany" does not always mean a true Italian oil. It may refer to where the olives were pressed not necessarily where grown. Unscrupulous producers buy cheap foreign oil and blend it with local oil and label it Made in Italy.