Numerous clinical studies suggest that including extra-virgin olive oil in your diet has additional benefits for health, thanks in part to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity associated with its phenolic compounds. Photo: Spanish Olive Oil Consortium

And numerous clinical studies suggest that including extra-virgin olive oil in your diet has additional benefits for health, thanks in part to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity associated with its phenolic compounds.

Moreover, according to a recent study in the Journal of Environmental Sciences, “the unsaturated fatty acids is olive oil reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure.”

The study likewise found that in countries such as Spain, Italy and Greece, where olive oil is a fundamental part of the diet, there are lower incidences of colon, breast and prostate cancer.

And there was less incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and a growing life expectancy compared to people in northern Europe.

According to a recent study, the unsaturated fatty acids is olive oil reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure. Photo: Spanish Olive Oil Consortium

By the same token, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology published a study led by Harvard researchers that analyzed data from 28 years of surveys from nearly 100,000 patients showing that those with the highest olive oil intake were 19 percent less likely than the others to suffer from cardiovascular disease and 17 percent less likely to develop cancer.

They also had an 18-percent lower risk of respiratory disease.

The main reason, the report stated, was that fact that olive oil  is predominantly oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat, compared to the unhealthy saturated and trans fats found in many other cooking oils.

The key to finding the best olive oil is to check for quality certification since some labeled “extra-virgin” have been diluted with other refined oils.

Spain is the world’s largest producer of quality olive oil, and Spanish extra-virgin olive oil is always 100 percent pure.

Spain is also the Number One exporter of olive oil.

Spain is the world’s largest producer of quality olive oil, and Spanish extra-virgin olive oil is always 100 percent pure. Photo: Spanish Olive Oil Consortium

But aside from the obvious health benefits of consuming extra-virgin olive oil, there is another advantage, and that is the wonderful way it tastes and adds flavor to virtually any sort of culinary creation.

And that is exactly what the Spanish Olive Oil Consortium (Interprofesional del Aceite de Oliva Español) set out to show in a recent designer dinner at the upscale Migrante restaurant in Mexico City’s trendy Colonia Roma Norte.

Inviting four of Mexico’s top, up-and-coming chefs — Andrés Cárdenas, Alexis Ayala, Fernando Martínez and Xchel González — to develop their own recipes of haute cuisine mexicaine incorporating Spanish extra-virgin olive oil into their gastronomic creations, the consortium offered an exceptional platform to showcase the extraordinary power of Spain’s finest aceite de oliva virgen extra to not only add flavor and dimension to the food, but to boost its nutritional value. 

The magnificent, by-invitation-only, gourmet feast, which was part of the Spanish Olive Oil Consortium’s ongoing international promotional campaign known as Sabore a la Vida (Taste Life) and cosponsored by the European Union, opened with a special heart-healthy cocktail designed especially for the occasion using fresh fruit juices, Spanish extra-virgin olive oil and rum.

Nexican chef Andrés Cárdenas prepares a delicious appetizer of wild greens and herbs gently crowned with Spanish extra-virgin olive oil. Photo: Spanish Olive Oil Consortium

The first dish presented was the epicurean art of Andrés Cárdenas, who has over the years worked in the kitchens of Mexico’s premiere Pujol restaurant, honing his skills in molecular food preparation.

“For me, the use of Spanish olive oil is key to excellent cookery because it represents the culinary syncretism between Spain and Mexico,” Cárdenas said, as he presented a succulent bouquet of wild Mediterranean greens and herbs wrapped in a tiny lettuce cord and topped with a purée of fermented creole tomatoes and extra-virgin olive oil.

“It is the subtle nuances and flavors of liquid gold that provide and imbue any product I create with unmistakable edges, and this dish is no exception.”

Xchel González prepares his renowned duck mole with the addition of extra-virgin olive oil. Photo: Spanish Olive Oil Consortium

The next dish presented — in the eyes of many attendees, the pièce de résistance of the evening — was Xchel González’s exquisite interpretation of an early Mexican colonial delicacy, tiny cubes of grilled dough cakes filled with baked duck confetti drenched in hand-ground Oaxacan-style mole with fresh seasonal fruits and pickled carrots, and infused with the unmistakable goodness of Spanish extra-virgin olive oil.

Vegetarian guests were offered the option of the same wonderful cakes filled with baked squash instead of duck.

The flavors of the mole — one of González’s most renowned dishes — were heightened and accentuated by the addition of the olive oil, making it even more captivating and delicious.

The main course of the evening was created by chef Alexis Ayala, a marvelous lamb filet smothered in a Yucatan-style sikil pak, composed of fermented raspberries, dates, wild herbs and a savory chillie sauce enhanced with the inclusion of Spanish olive oil.

Ayala also prepared a fig-and-dried-tomato-based version of the dish for the non-carnivorous guests of the evening.

“I am so proud to be part of Mexico’s new generation of chefs, who not only preserve traditional recipes such as this sikil pak, but improve on them by adding the best of European ingredients, like Spanish extra-virgin olive oil,” Ayala said.

“I think it is important to focus on the consumer and always use the best of ingredients so that the final product is a true culinary masterpiece.”