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Manni Olive oil
By Malcolm Jolley
Apart from being some of the world's most famous chef's at the world's best
restaurants, what do Thomas Keller, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and, Giorgio
Locatelli have in common? All three use and swear by Italian film director
Armando Manni's extra virgin olive oil ("evoo"). The oil, reputedly the world's
most expensive, comes in two flavours: Per me ("for me") a bolder fruit forward
oil, which we tasted, and Per figlio ("for my son") a lighter version made for
his little boy. Manni makes oils as great vintners make exceptional wines,
blended from low yield trees on small estates, picked by hand.
Manni was
in Toronto a little while ago, holding forth at a Cookbook Store tasting held at
Pangaea. Lucky foodies tasted his 2002 and 2003 evoo vintages as he explained
his process of halting all oxidisation in each 100 ml bottle. Manni keeps their
bottles small to ensure freshness.
Taste is not the only concern to
Manni. As he explained, his oils have the highest levels of polyphenels, thought
to control "free radicals" and fight "bad cholesterol". These are present in all
evoo's but quickly deteriorate due to oxidisation and ultra-violet light. Manni
worked with chemists at the University of Florence to develop a method of using
nitrogen to bottle the oils, eliminating contact with oxygen. The bottles
themselves are made of dark glass to prevent light exposure and are always
shipped via air to reduce shipping time, as all oil will lose polyphenels
eventually over time.
When tasted, both vintages were strangely dry on
the tongue, yet fatty on the lips. The overall effect was a beautiful wash of
fruit and flower. Manni claims the purity of his oils actually cleanses the
palate, and tasters were given dark Tuscan chocolate to taste with the oils. The
result of the combination was a much stronger and cleaner chocolate taste.
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