Oil - a light giving source; a magic beauty potion; a cure against diseases; a huge asset for the economy; an ingredient in culinary preparation, a precious ointment for the body in ancient Greece and a medicinal potion for the Romans. Oil has, over the years, confirmed its irreplaceable nutritional value.
Considered a leading ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine and a well-known and highly regarded condiment worldwide, oil is an excellent source of certain irreplaceable nutrients; for example:
PHENOLS: anti-oxidant and anti-ageing, their presence prevents the oxidation of cells, and oxidative stress.
TOCOPHEROLS: their principle element is Vitamin E, and tocopherols give an elevated nutritional value to the product, because of this anti-oxidant action. In particular, on the label for Frantolio, which includes a nutrition values table, the quantity of Vitamin E as a nutritional component can be precisely indicated thanks to the certified presence of tocopherols and phenols (phenols 150 ppm, tocopherols 130 ppm).
Oil, as well as having great nutritional value is an excellent and tasty ingredient. The best way to savour a good olive oil is probably to eat in on toasted bread brushed with garlic and seasoned with salt and pepper. In Tuscany it is called "fettunta" or "pan con l'olio", and in Lazio and Abruzzi "bruschetta".
All regions of Central and Southern Italy abound in dishes in which olive oil is prominently used in delicious combinations: "orecchiette with turnip greens" from Puglia, "spaghetti aglio e olio" from Naples, "Roman style artichokes", and from Sicily "pasta with sardines".
