Jerry Finzi

As a boy, olives were one of my favorite things. I especially loved black olives. I’d eat them at holidays, but I’d also have them for snacks. I loved black olives in the can mostly, but also loved those little …

Is “First Pressed” Really a Good Thing?   Ok, now this is really going to confuse you. Earlier I talked about how a “first pressed” Extra Virgin is best. But there are those that debate whether this is really good …

How to tell if it’s really Extra Virgin?   To start off, let’s make one thing perfectly clear–light or extra light olive oil is just that–clear and light in color. It doesn’t refer to calories. It refers to lack of …

Is What We Buy Fake Extra Virgin?   If the recent 60 Minutes report entitled Agromafia is to be believed, the Mafia in Italy is taking cheap North African olive oil, sunflower or canola oil and modifying the oils to …

What is the Difference Between All Those Names?   The “pressed” method means that no heat or chemical additives were used to extract the oil from the olives, which can alter and destroy the flavor and aroma of the oil …

Here in our home, one of our Christmas traditions is making gingerbread cookies and one gingerbread house each year. I often wondered if there is something similar in Italy and in fact, I discovered something very similar to gingerbread in …