The Olive Oil Enthusiast: A Guide from Tree to Table, with Recipes

by Skyler Mapes, Giuseppe Morisani

A comprehensive, practical introduction to the often misunderstood world of olive oil—with recipes for appetizers, pasta, sauces, and desserts—from the founders and producers of the acclaimed EXAU Olive Oil brand.

Humans have produced and enjoyed olive oil for thousands of years, but education about olive oil is woefully lacking. After meeting and falling in love with an American on holiday, then moving to the U.S., Giuseppe Morisani was shocked to discover that quality olive oil was not appreciated or even available in many parts of the United States. He was raised among his family’s seaside olive groves in Calabria, Italy, so when he and his wife, Skyler Mapes, decided to demystify the industry, they moved to Calabria and began harvesting, producing, packaging, and exporting high-quality Italian olive oil. 

The Olive Oil Enthusiast is a clear, approachable guide to the world of olive oil, starting with a walk through the olive groves during growing season to harvesting the olives to the milling and production processes. There are tips for shopping for, tasting, using, and storing olive oil. Mapes and Morisani also include twenty recipes for dishes that showcase olive oil, such as Crocchette di Patate (fried potato croquettes), Pasta Aglio e Olio (pasta with garlic and olive oil), Olive Oil Brownies , and tasty Bruschetta .

With charming illustrations and passionate author expertise, readers will discover a new appreciation for a classic ingredient.

Genres: Food, Cookbooks, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

Published August 15, 2023

Reviews

[Molly Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars // shoutout to Jon for the sweetest Christmas gift since I’ve been saying for the last year that I deeply desire to become an olive oil snob. This book was beautifully illustrated and gave a nice overview of the olive oil industry. However, I was disappointed in the lack of information about how to recognized good EVOO in the wild. There were only two paragraphs in the whole book about recognizing high quality olive oil, which is really the insight that I wanted! It talked a lot about all the ways that the industry hasn’t been historically transparent, but didn’t ever share how we’re to recognize the good EVOO brands as consumers.

[Karel Baloun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad for the authors that they both found meaningful life purpose in specialty extra virgin olive oil, rooted in family land and century old orchards. I wish more agriculture were so restorative and meaningful.

I don’t wish more food books were like this one… it’s a long wordy advertisement for the kind of oil they feel appropriately blessed to be producing. They include little information about the greater olive industry, or modernization and expansion. Mapes is from California, and the book included almost nothing about our domestic cultivation, or the leading local olive research at UC Davis. Everything for them hinges on subjective “quality” and highly variable “taste”.

The “science of olive oil” chapter is 4 short pages, and contains very little science.. few details and zero research.

The 14 page harvest and production chapter so high level that it couldn’t be followed as a map by an aspiring producer, and for me isn’t especially interesting. I suspect the internet has similar, with actual photos and videos.

I mostly came here to learn about the health benefits of EVOO and the evolution of production with technology and climate crisis. The recipes seem sensible, and I learned that I should finish olive oil within two years of harvest, but otherwise, My mission was not fulfilled.

[EB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started reading b/c I finished "Warm Hands of Ghosts" b4 bed but wasn't *quite* ready to fall asleep. Wanted something light to listen to while I keep processing "Warm Hands." B/c (like I said in my review) that story is going to stay w/ me for a long time. (I'm not ready to take on a new fictional world, yet. Still savoring / lingering in this one.)

UPDATE 5/20 - this was a fast and easy listen. They recycled verbiage between sections so it read a *little* like some cobbled together blog posts. Not much new info but a good way to review what I've been learning. My only real complaint was that it felt kind of info-mercially (evangelist) at times, since they so frequently referenced their own brand of olive oil. Makes sense, since that's their experience and frame of reference, tho. Overall I appreciated hearing the perspective of a producer. The culture of olive oil folks is... quite distinct and quite intense.

PS I bookmarked this quote b/c of the word 'carefree' which struck me, for some reason, as jarringly delightful: "Tasting Raw Olives." We need to preface this with a warning. Proceed with caution when tasting raw olives. You might think biting into an olive would be a fun, carefree activity. . . . When you sink your teeth into the flesh you find the flavor slightly pleasant. But then - an avalanche of bitterness hits your tongue and it tastes terrible. Surprise! Raw olives are without a doubt one of the most bitter foods you will ever eat. (@35ish min.)

[Douglas Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of information about olive oil including cultivars of olive trees, growing, harvesting, milling health benefits and recipes. It also has a in depth look at which olive cultivars are best suited for eating and for making oil.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

beautifully illustrated and the recipes are phenomenal. 5 stars for those two portions, 1 star for the science of olive oil and the lack of any real explanation other than price on how to select the sort of oil they are endorsing.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a book about olive oil. What else can I say? It’s fine.

[David Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice concise guide to everything olive oil.

[Lucille Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short book talking about olive oil from owners of a small company importing Italian olive oil. Fascinating but a bit light on detail.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads like an infomercial, could have gotten the same facts in a nice short blog. I wish them well with their oil importing business, but SHEESH!

[Nat Colarossi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick, educational read. I love food 🙂