Re: [CH] Olive Oil [BARELY ON-TOPIC..okay, probably not on-topic at
David Cook (zebcook@pacbell.net)
Wed, 28 Jan 1998 19:10:33 -0800
Inagaddadavida wrote:
> Twas Writ:
> >Why no olive oil? I thought I read somewhere (it might have been The
>
> >Whole Chile Pepper book) that olive oil retained chile's heat and
> flavor
> >better than any other oil. I will try to look it up to be sure.
>
> Hmmm. Never heard that. Yet my reasons are in part explained by the
> rest
> of your post. IMO, olive oil begins to "break up" too easily when
> heated
> for a long time as one would have to do to make chile oil; thus, it
> develops an unpleasant flavor...which is a sin if chiles are in it
> <g>.
Perhaps a less insidious reason is that olive oil, while wonderful, is
not suited to a wide range of cusines. It has a distinctive flavor. One
object in making chile oil is to keep the flavor "pure". I would use a
peanut or canola based chile oil in Chinese cooking, but wouldn't use an
olive-based one.
Zeb