Olive oil is one of our culinary “secrets”— a staple of the Italian diet and a true essential of a variety of dishes at Olive Garden. We use only the finest extra-virgin olive oil
from Italy that is produced with 100% Italian olives.
Making Olive Oil
For more than 2500 years, people have been harvesting olive trees and pressing the fruit to make oil. At harvest time, olives are picked and taken to the mill for pressing to enable the gentle extraction of the oil.
Only a small portion of olives made into oil may be designated as extra-virgin. This is the flavorful, aromatic oil that results from the first pressing of olives. To qualify as extra virgin, the oil must be cold pressed, with no chemicals or hot water added during the process, and acidity levels must be lower than one percent.
