Food - Drink
Is Olive Oil Technically Fruit Juice?
By ELIAS NASH
It's hardly surprising that olive oil, which is high in good fats and antioxidants and has the ability to decrease blood pressure and cholesterol, was picked as the most preferred cooking oil in a Tasting Table poll. Despite our love and current knowledge, we may have gotten the most basic detail wrong: the name itself.
With all we’ve learned about olive oil, one thing we’ve yet to understand is that it’s essentially a type of fruit juice, and its production even mirrors that of fruit juices more than other cooking oils. Olives belong to a fruit family called drupes, a type of fruit that only has one seed protected by a hard shell known as a pit, like a peach or cherry.
Drinking olive oil as a fruit juice has recently gained popularity as a health trend, although it is quite calorie-dense and can even cause upset stomachs. Despite the fact that olive oil is technically a form of fruit juice, we use it like any other kitchen oil, so the moniker is not entirely inappropriate.