The Importance of the Right Olive Oil

One of the most eye-opening lessons from our day at Mamma Agata’s cooking school in Ravello wasn’t just about food, it was about oil. Not all olive oil is created equal, and how you use it matters just as much as which one you buy.

Chiara (Mamma’s daughter) talked about the importance of using the right oil at the right time… not overheating olive oil, and definitely not reusing it over and over again like many American restaurants do. She shared that some places in the U.S. use the same frying oil for weeks, even a month. That repeated heating breaks down the oil and makes it harmful to the body. It’s a shortcut that’s costing us our health.

In their kitchen, it’s a non-negotiable… use only the freshest and highest-quality ingredients, and that starts with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, cold-pressed, never refined, and full of antioxidants. Mamma Agata’s oil comes from “Rotondella” olives, hand-harvested in the Salerno Hills and the Sorrentina Peninsula, known for producing some of the finest oils in the world.

The flavor? Soft, fruity, with delicate notes of apple, green leaves, and almonds. The acidity is incredibly low, making it a staple of the Mediterranean Diet and perfect for aging well.

This one small change, using better oil in the right way, adds up over time.