A GASTRONOMIC ANALYSIS OF VEGETABLE OILS: THE CASE OF OLIVE OIL

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the concept of olive oil as a gastronomic product used in the wider world cuisine, based on the gastronomic definition of the vegetable-based cooking oils used in kitchens all around the globe, and the identification of the issues one should take into account in the context of using vegetable oils for food. The concept of oil has been the object of numerous academic studies in a number of disciplines in science and medicine, and the subject of various chemical and biological classifications. Its benefits and harms on human health, its areas of use, and its material characteristics were analyzed in depth. Yet, theoretical studies of oil from a gastronomic perspective are rare and far between. The present study aims to analyze the concept of oil –certainly an object of a wide range of disciplines– with specific reference to kitchens, perhaps the most important fields of application in gastronomy, based on an example produced with olive oil –a leading type of cooking oil.