By Stephen Volkamer
 Olive oil has been in use well before the time of the Ancient Greeks, and diners today continue to find the oil a tasty and healthy addition to their meals. French writer Georges Duhamel once commented, “The Mediterranean ends where the olive tree no longer grows.” Unsurprisingly today, the majority of olives come from Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, and Tunisia. While Spain produces nearly half of the olives in the world market, many people consider Tuscan olives from Italy to be the best for producing the world’s finest olive oil. Quality in olive oil is essential for proper Italian dining.
Vito Rubino of Saturno Imports produces the 2006 Saturn Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is some of the finest olive oil we’ve ever tasted. Saturn Extra Virgin Olive Oil is served at Cucina Biagio in Harwood Heights and is an excellent complement to the authentic Italian cuisine they serve. Cucina Biagio, near O’Hare and just off the Kennedy is one our favorite Chicago area Italian restaurants. Both are family owned and run, and they are passionate about what they offer their guests.
We interviewed Vito to learn the ins and outs of olive oil. Olives, like apples, grow in a variety of colors, aromas and flavors.  In Italy alone there are over 600 kinds of olive trees, which include notable varieties like Biancolilla, Nocellara, and Casaliva. Remarkably, an olive tree can live for thousands of years. Like wine, olive oil quality varies beyond the kind of olives harvested because of weather, freshness, handling, and production methods.
All olive oil adheres to an industry-wide standard of quality. The purest form of olive oil is called extra virgin olive oil. Vito’s family has been producing olive oil for many generations. It is a slow and people intensive business. His olives are hand picked in October before they ripen (to produce the best flavor), and from the oldest trees as they produce the best olives. All Saturno Imports oil is certified organic, once again for superior taste. Hand picking also ensures the best olives are picked and minimizes bruising the olives during the harvest. Because they are so selective, it takes 4,000 trees to produce only 1,100 gallons of Saturn Extra Virgin Olive Oil; however the end result is worth it.
Vito’s olives are then pressed in what is called “the first pressing”, and all within 8 hours of their picking to preserve the taste. Like with seafood, freshness is important when producing olive oil. The actual processing of olive oil essentially hasn’t changed since the period of the Romans and Greeks thousands of years ago.
 Lower grades are picked by machine. This affects the quality as machines tend to bruise the olives during picking and machines can’t select which olives to pick. Olive oil produced from ripe olives tends have more acidity, with a bitter, and a peppery taste. As grades drop in quality, oils are blended with lower quality olives and other oils, with some companies even adding food coloring to their product. The lowest grade of olive oil includes remains of the crushed olive not extracted in earlier processes. This is not fit for human consumption and is often used for industrial processes. The next time you see a cheap bottle of olive oil in a store, be careful and read what you are getting!
Along with this great olive oil, you’ll find a friendly staff and beautiful dining room at Cucina Biagio. It’s one of the few restaurants where I’ve been able to find homemade spinach pasta, and dishes like Chicken Milanese & Filet Medallions are excellent. The wine list includes 40 reasonably priced bottles along with Italian liquors like Compari, Grappa and, Ramazzotti. They also have intimate private dining space available for up to 90 people. It’s one of our favorites.
Cucina Biagio
7309 W. Lawrence Ave.
Harwood Heights
708-867-4641
Saturno Imports
5990 N. Northwest Highway
Chicago
312-320-8486 |