Toscano IGP Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a blend of Tuscan cultivars (Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino)

Aromatic profile

Culinary use

• When to add : raw over the finished plate, in a generous drizzle
• Dosage : 1 to 2 tablespoons drizzled over each plate at the table, raw, just before serving
• Ideal pairings : bruschetta and fettunta (garlic-rubbed grilled bread), ribollita and white-bean soups, bistecca alla fiorentina, simple olive-oil pasta, grilled vegetables
• Avoid with : deep-frying or high-heat cooking (the polyphenols and aroma are wasted, and the smoke point is the wrong tool for the price), delicate dishes the pepper-and-bitter punch would bury, sweet preparations

The grain in detail

Toscano IGP is one of the best-structured olive-oil designations in Italy. The European Union granted it PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status in 1998, covering the whole of Tuscany and requiring a majority of the typical Tuscan cultivars: Frantoio, Moraiolo and Leccino, sometimes rounded out with Pendolino, Olivastra Seggianese and minor local varieties. Frantoio brings the power and the pungency, Moraiolo the bitterness and the green-tomato note, Leccino softens the blend with roundness and finesse. The fruit is picked early, often from late October, while the olives are still green, which maximizes the polyphenols and so the throat-catching pepper that defines a real Tuscan oil. Pressing is cold, below 81°F (27°C), and the rules require bottling inside Tuscany, which shuts down the out-of-region blending that gave generic Italian oil its reputation problem. The flavor is intensely green: raw artichoke on the attack, fresh almond, wild herbs, green tomato and tomato leaf, then a pungent, bitter finish. This is a high-character oil, and it earns its keep raw, drizzled generously over something warm: fettunta (Tuscan grilled bread rubbed with garlic), ribollita (the bread-and-bean soup), simple pasta with oil and parmesan, grilled vegetables, and a thick bistecca alla fiorentina just off the fire. Over very delicate dishes its intensity takes over. Don't cook with it: heat throws away both the aroma and the polyphenols you paid for, and a cheaper oil does the frying. The best Tuscan sub-zones have no separate PDO but are known to enthusiasts: Chianti Classico, Colline Lucchesi, Montalbano, Seggiano. A handful of producers, Frantoio Franci, Capezzana, Castello di Ama and Frescobaldi Laudemio among them, built their export reputation on harvest-date freshness and parcel-level traceability. When you buy, check three things: the Toscano IGP seal, the harvest date (the most recent you can find), and the extra-virgin grade with a maximum acidity of 0.8% (the good bottles run far below it, often near 0.3%).

History & origin

Tuscan olive growing goes back to the Etruscans, who traded the oil before the Romans did. The medieval Tuscan sharecropping contracts (mezzadria) structured the way the olive tree shared the Chianti hillsides with vines and wheat. The Toscano IGP was recognized in 1998 in response to widespread fraud, where oils of mixed origin were bottled and sold under the Tuscan name.

Indicative price

Reference format : 500ml — from $22.00 to $40.00 (median : $33.00).

Storage

Tinted glass or an opaque metal tin, away from light and heat, ideally between 14 and 64°F (18°C). Best used within 18 months of harvest, when the green pungency is still alive.

Where to buy?

Tags

• Italy
• Tuscany
• IGP
• olive oil
• Olea europaea
• Frantoio
• intense green fruit
• finishing oil

Frequently asked questions

How do you store Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil IGP?

Tinted glass or an opaque metal tin, away from light and heat, ideally between 14 and 64°F (18°C). Best used within 18 months of harvest, when the green pungency is still alive.

What dosage for Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil IGP?

1 to 2 tablespoons drizzled over each plate at the table, raw, just before serving

When should you add Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil IGP in cooking?

It's best used raw over the finished plate, in a generous drizzle.

What should you avoid pairing Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil IGP with?

Avoid with: deep-frying or high-heat cooking (the polyphenols and aroma are wasted, and the smoke point is the wrong tool for the price), delicate dishes the pepper-and-bitter punch would bury, sweet preparations.