For years, the idea has spread that extra virgin olive oil should be used exclusively raw to preserve its quality and properties. In reality, the issue is more interesting: both uses have a precise meaning and, above all, EVO is not just a condiment but a true "bridge" between taste, nutrition, and food transformation.
Extra virgin olive oil doesn't just accompany ingredients: it often enhances them, protects them, and, in some cases, even improves the availability of some beneficial substances. This is precisely where its extraordinary ability to create a sort of symbiosis with other foods comes from.
Raw EVO oil: the purest expression
Using it raw allows you to fully appreciate:
- aromas and scents;
- fruity notes;
- herbaceous, bitter, or spicy hints;
- sensory characteristics typical of the cultivar;
- part of the most delicate aromatic heritage.
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on a bruschetta, a mozzarella, a salad, or a freshly served soup can transform a simple dish into a richer and more complex experience.
Moreover, in the case of oils with a high polyphenol content, the spicy and slightly bitter sensation often indicates the presence of bioactive compounds.
EVO oil in cooking: much more than just a fat
Thinking that cooking "nullifies" the benefits of extra virgin olive oil is an oversimplification.
EVO remains a very valid choice even in daily preparations thanks to its composition, rich in monounsaturated fats and natural antioxidant compounds. Naturally, some of the more delicate components may decrease with high temperatures or prolonged cooking times, but this does not mean that the oil completely loses its value.
Indeed, during cooking, an often-underestimated aspect comes into play: food synergy.
When EVO oil and ingredients work together: examples of symbiosis in the kitchen
Mediterranean cuisine, even before modern science, had intuited something that is increasingly being studied today: some ingredients work better together than separately.
1. EVO oil and tomato passata: probably the most famous synergy
The classic soffritto (sauté) with extra virgin olive oil and tomato is not just a culinary tradition.
Tomatoes contain lycopene, a carotenoid responsible for their red color. Lycopene is fat-soluble, meaning it needs fats to be absorbed more efficiently by the body.
Cooking tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil helps make lycopene more available and absorbable. Some studies have observed a significant increase in lycopene absorption when tomatoes are cooked with olive oil.
This is why a simple sauce slowly prepared with EVO and tomatoes is much more than a traditional recipe: it is a small example of applied nutrition.
2. EVO oil and carrots: greater availability of carotenoids
Carrots are naturally rich in beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A.
Again, the mechanism is similar: carotenoids are fat-soluble compounds, and the presence of fats promotes their absorption.
Carrots lightly sautéed in a pan with EVO or baked with a drizzle of oil not only improve the taste but can also make these nutrients more available.
3. EVO oil and leafy green vegetables
Spinach, chicory, Swiss chard, kale, and other green vegetables contain carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin.
Adding extra virgin olive oil can help absorb these substances, as well as balance the flavor profile, softening some bitter notes typical of these vegetables.
This is probably one reason why many traditional Italian recipes have always combined cooked vegetables and extra virgin olive oil.
4. EVO oil, garlic, and onion: the Mediterranean trio
In preparing soffritto, oil does not only perform a technical function.
During cooking, it helps extract and diffuse many aromatic molecules present in garlic and onion, making the perception of taste more intense and contributing to the aromatic complexity of the dish.
In the famous "Mediterranean soffritto" (tomato, garlic/onion, and EVO), some studies have observed true interactions between ingredients that influence the content and availability of bioactive compounds.
The real question is not "raw or cooked?"
Perhaps the correct question is not choosing between raw or cooked.
Raw, extra virgin olive oil expresses its sensory identity more fully.
When cooked, however, it becomes an active ingredient that interacts with other foods, amplifying their aromas, structure, and in some cases, the availability of nutritional substances.
EVO oil is not just a fat to add to a dish: it is an element capable of creating relationships between ingredients, transforming simple recipes into combinations that unite taste, tradition, and science.
And perhaps this is one of its most fascinating qualities.