EMBRATUR extra virgin olive oil – intensely fruity – 100 ml

EMBRATUR olive oil by Vitelium. Intensely fruity, green tomato, no more than 300 liters per season.

EMBRATUR olive oil is Vitelium's intensely fruity extra virgin olive oil, pressed in Molise from green, early-harvested olives. Not a mild all-purpose oil, not a frying oil, not an oil for mayonnaise.

EMBRATUR olive oil by Vitelium comes from green fruit of the Nocellara del Belice and Sperone di Gallo varieties. The producer classifies this extra virgin olive oil as intensely fruity. What that means is shown by the comparison with the two other oils from the house. Vitelium describes the slightly fruity Provvidentia as green and delicate, the medium-fruity Frentanum with grasses and artichoke. Embratur stands at the top end of this scale and smells distinctly of green tomato. According to the producer, no more than 300 liters are produced from it per season. The 100-ml bottle is the entry point to get to know this profile before you decide on a larger quantity.

Green tomato, bitter palate, peppery finish

Embratur reveals itself on the nose with the scent of freshly cut green tomatoes and tomato leaves. On the palate follows a balanced bitterness, characteristic of oils from unripe olives. In the finish, a peppery heat builds up, which briefly scratches the throat.

Bitterness and heat are considered positive attributes in olive oil tasting. They are caused by phenolic compounds, which are particularly abundant in green fruit. The color is golden-green, the texture rather firm than buttery. Tasting panels rate the fruitiness on a scale of 0 to 10. If the median value is above 6, an oil is considered intensely fruity.

Anyone expecting a mild olive oil with almond or apple notes will find Embratur too bitter. For beginners who are otherwise only familiar with mild supermarket oils, the first sip pure is often a surprise. That is precisely why testing it with the small bottle is worth it.

How to taste and use the small bottle

An intensely fruity olive oil unfolds best cold, as a finish on the finished dish. To get to know it, put a tablespoon in a small glass and warm it briefly in your hand. Then smell, take a sip, and draw air through your teeth. Professionals call this strippaggio, so that the aromas spread in the mouth.

After that, it goes into the kitchen. A plate of ripe tomatoes with coarse salt and two tablespoons of Embratur shows how well the two tomato notes go together. Cooked thick beans with chicory, a classic from southern Italy, get their seasoning with it. Grilled peppers, fresh ricotta with black pepper, or a pappa al pomodoro also stand up to the strong oil.

For light emulsions like mayonnaise, Embratur is not suitable, because the bitterness stands out unpleasantly there. In the hot pan, it also loses exactly the fruit for which you buy it.

Our tip: Place the small bottle next to the FRENTANUM in 100 ml and try both one after the other on neutral white bread. The difference between medium and intensely fruity becomes tangible in one minute.

An Oscan title of lordship for olives from two altitudes

In Oscan, Embratur means something like field commander or ruler, related to the Latin imperator. The Samnites spoke Oscan, who inhabited today's Molise in antiquity. The name thus refers to the history of the region from which the oil comes.

According to Vitelium, the olives grow at an altitude between 400 and 800 meters. Nocellara del Belice is a variety known for its tomato notes, Sperone di Gallo complements the fruit. They are harvested by hand, depending on the year from mid-October, while the fruit is still green. At the latest six hours after harvest, they are in the mill and processed mechanically in the decanter.

The temperature remains below 27 degrees, the limit below which the EU allows the indication of cold extraction. The producer states the free fatty acid content at below 0.2 percent. For the extra virgin category, up to 0.8 percent is permitted. Behind Vitelium stand the plant biologist Davide Petrollino in Provvidenti and Constanze Engelbrecht in Hamburg.

Tasting bottle for a strictly limited harvest

With a quantity of no more than 300 liters per year, Embratur is not an oil for the bulk purchase. The 100-ml bottle allows a first impression without an opened oil standing in the cupboard for months. After bottling, it lasts 18 to 24 months, opened it tastes freshest in the first weeks.

As a guest gift for people who like to cook, the slim bottle makes a good impression. Anyone who wants more after the first test will find the same oil as EMBRATUR in the 250-ml bottle.

An olive oil with attitude: green, bitter, smelling of tomato. In the small bottle you can test whether it suits your kitchen.