A snack of bread and oil?

“Tingleful”

We should learn from children to be more curious

by Chiara Coricelli, CEO of Pietro Coricelli Spa, Spoleto

It is with great pleasure that I would like to share with you one of my fondest memories as an olive oil-loving mother: one day, when my four-year-old daughter was enjoying her favourite snack of bread and oil, she tried to describe the taste by coining the adjective “tingleful”, and she said of the aroma that “it smells like winter”. With these simple words she opened my eyes not only to children’s extraordinary descriptive ability, but also to their great skill in distinguishing flavours and aromas, and appreciating their value. My daughters have always been lucky enough to be able to choose from among various types of extra virgin olive oil to add flavour to their dishes, and from an early age showed a preference for intense, fruity and medium/highly peppery oils. Nor did they have any aversion to bitter notes, which are often mistakenly thought of as being “too strong” for children’s palates. We should learn from children to be more curious in exploring the aromas and flavours of extra-virgin olive oil, with less prejudice and more openness. And at the same time, we should teach them to experiment with new flavours: in the future, that will mean we have more knowledgeable consumers.

Agenda Oliocentrica 2023

SCIENZA (E ARTE) DELL’ASSAGGIO DELL’OLIO

Alla sua prima edizione, l’agenda ideata da Olio Officina - con testi redatti dall’oleologo Luigi Caricato - è stata concepita con il dichiarato proposito di andare incontro a tutti gli appassionati oleofili che vogliano scoprire come scegliere l’olio extra vergine di oliva a partire dall’assaggio dell’olio in purezza, annusandolo e degustandolo nel bicchiere, proprio come già avviene con i sommelier per il vino. Ecco allora tutte le tecniche e le modalità per apprendere e scoprire, mese dopo mese, tutto quel che serve sapere per diventare bravi assaggiatori e riuscire così a distinguere qualità e peculiarità dei tanti oli extra vergini presenti sul mercato.