Christmas is the quintessential season of gifts and also engagement gifts. To people you love and people you don’t, but you have to give them something, as a gift or as a deference for the services provided. Sometimes with esteem and, other times, without it, we have to go through a toll of gifts that are not easy to tackle.

Especially if we don’t know the other person well.. Give something as a gift, without wanting to look like Sheldon Cooper in the series The Big Bang Theory and his complex theory of gift commitmentit’s difficult. Above all, if you don’t want to give something that the other person doesn’t like or, directly, won’t use.

That’s why, I don’t usually believe in the invisible friend eithersometimes called useless friend. Yes, we all know that we end up rigging those types of contests. Just as we do with Eurovision or with the soccer World Cup venues, bringing the ember to our sardine. PS: everything said above is a joke.

What is no joke is that giving well is difficult. Even more so when we give away food and We don’t know who is going to eat it or their tastes.. And even more so when we do not take into account that, surely, that person may have many other similar gifts.

I’m talking about healthcare personnel, in general, where rare is the professional who doesn’t end up taking some gifts home every Christmas. It also happens, on a smaller scale, with lawyers and professions linked to laws and numbers, but it happens.

The truth is that there are many gifts that seem obvious and good, but they don’t always have to be that way, and they end up being passed on to third parties. Wine and spirits; sweets of all kinds; sausages; cheeses; canned food… But it never rains to everyone’s liking. Which is why I consider that giving a good extra virgin olive oil is the best possible gastronomic gift. And it is for three irrefutable reasons.

Does not expose you to allergies or food intolerances

Unless, in a very specific manner, someone might have a rare food allergy or intolerance towards this product, the reality is that it is an extraordinary cleansing product. It is not an allergen and, above all, it does not come up against all kinds of dietary demands that we have prohibited or that we have imposed on ourselves.

Chocolates, for example, may have animal elements or a high amount of sugar. Iberian ham, in a similar sense, is a problem for pregnant women and for people who do not eat meat, in general or, in particular, pork.

With other edibles, such as pastas, Polvorones or any other sweet profile, we may get into trouble at the expense of gluten allergiesto certain additives, to sulfites – in some cases – or, again, to sugar.

There is no more talk about wine, spirits and alcohol as a gift for all audiences. Not everyone drinks it nor does everyone enjoy it. Beyond nutritional considerations or health. With canned fish or seafood, for example, we also enter into complicated territory because it is still a common allergen.

It is true that, to make exceptions, the preserved vegetables Yes, they would let us open the range, since it is rare that they have allergens and health benefits, but they have a small nuance that, as we will see now, does not happen to the oil: the moment of consumption.

It is versatile

A good extra virgin olive oil can be used whenever and however you want. We err on the side of using only ‘good’ olive oil for raw preparations, but the truth is that you can use it for whatever you consider. Breakfasts, salads, cooking, dressings, marinating foods… The limits of extra virgin olive oil are endless and that is an advantage so that, as we said, you can give it as a gift without problems.

You can make some bread toast with oil for breakfast; You can take one of our salads and add a good splash of oil; you could make your home preserves with it; You can fry with the oil… Whatever you plan to do with it at home, it will come in handy.

It is for all audiences

This is a more than relevant nuance that, as we say, transcends the issue of food intolerances or allergies. Also, we comment, about the dietary preferences of each one, whether due to religious or social issues.

Besides, olive oil is for all ages. Your seven-year-old son can take it, just like your 94-year-old grandmother, and just like your 67-year-old father – to give several examples. Something that does not happen if we talk about eating, chewing or swallowing products that are hard, too powerful or, directly, that are not liked due to their taste profile.

He olive oil does not face this problemIn general terms, although good extra virgin olive oils have that ‘spicy’ profile at the expense of polyphenols, which is still good news.

The six extra virgin olive oils that I would give as a gift

At home I consume a lot of extra virgin olive oil.. More than the Spanish average and the reality is that I use it for everything, even for frying, although I know that for economic reasons it is not, in theory, the best option. And my recommendations today in the case of giving olive oil are going to be focused on five options – extra virgin, obviously – that go on a scale of intensity, depending on your tastes or the person to be given.

Aubocassa

This 100% Arbequina extra virgin olive oil is made on a small farm in the interior of Mallorca. I choose it because in addition to having a controlled and sustained (and sustainable) production, it seems to me to be a perfect extra virgin olive oil for those looking for a balanced productwhich is not too powerful in terms of spiciness and its fruity profile is medium.

Fresh, aromatic, but without going overpoweringthis Aubocassa is a great oil for those who are afraid of facing a very intense extra virgin, but who do not want to give up flavor, quality or a good aromatic profile, at the expense of this oil that, in addition, is assigned to the association of Grandes Pagos del Olivar.

Dehesa El Molinillo

It has become, according to the Evooleum guide (the Oscars of extra virgin olive oil), the best oil in the world in 2024. An award to take into account for the version of Dehesa El Molinillo which, in its Coratina olive version, seems like a great gift to me.

It is, in my opinion, because it combines a fruity character and a degree of bitterness and moderate spicinessa product of the variety it uses, and which is as versatile as it is easy to accept for all audiences.

La Torre Estate

For many years, Finca La Torre extra virgin olive oil has been positioned as one of the best oils in the world, both in medals and awards, and it is no wonder. Here we are going to a high intensity oil profilealso in terms of fruitiness and spiciness, but for those who want oil, for those who are very oil lovers, it is perfect.

In its hojiblanca version, it also maintains a very floral and herbaceous aftertaste which makes it especially addictive to use raw, both on toast and in salads or as a dressing. For me, another essential.

Gate of the Villas

There are many good extra virgin olive oils made by Spanish cooperatives, especially Andalusian ones. This Gate of the Villas, produced by SCA San Vicentein Villacarrillo (Jaén), is another extra virgin to always get your hands on and also to have on hand with your ‘little brothers’.

Medium-high intensity; good intense fruity tone; all-terrain… It has it all and it seems to me that, to get away from the profile of the best-known oils with this early picualit is perfect to start with an oil that is at a more affordable average price.

Canena Castle

In this case, although Castillo de Canena has many references –and They all seem like a good gift to me.– we go to one of its most unique oils: First Day of Picual Harvest. Another oil for those who love oil, intense, aromatic, with the profiles of freshly cut grass and with high notes of spiciness and bitterness.

A powerful oil, which invites you to continue taking it, and which represents the quintessence of Picual of Jaén when the olive grove is worked well and when it is picked early, to maintain those marked aromatic profiles. In addition, it also has the guarantee of being one of the producers present in the Grandes Pagos del Olivar association.

Sierras de la Subbéticas

Here we stand, once again, with one of the most awarded extra virgin olive oils in the world and a guarantee of quality with, once again, the seal of a cooperative such as it is. Oil mills of Subbética.

Very intense green, with notes of tomato bush and mintwith a very high fruitiness and a good balance between sweet, spicy and bitter notes for an addictive oil that you always want to have on hand.

Images | La Torre Estate / Aubocassa / Canena Castle

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