PREMIO FLAMINIO
Extra-vigin olive oil the star of Umbrian cooking
The Premio Flaminio was created to bring our dream of exalting extra-virgin olive oil.
Important Umbrian chefs are invited to compete by making the best use of our olive oil in their creations.
Società Agricola Trevi Il Frantoio (The Olive Mill Agricultural Company of Trevi ), which created the Premio Flaminio, was very keen on establishing this event which aims to bring olive oil back to the very centre of the preparation of excellent dishes, fostering a dialogue between good olive oil and restaurants, which is too often hard to do.
Over the past few years there has been a veritable revolution in the olive oil sector, and the quality of the olive oil being produced has increased significantly thanks to new technologies and greater awareness of the various varieties of olives. This makes it possible to highlight the various organoleptic properties – spicy, sweet, bitter olive oils – and to create more successful culinary pairings.
However, it is difficult to use the various extra-virgin olive oils in the correct way: in the kitchens of restaurants, unflavoured olive oils are often preferred, so they do not have to be balanced with the various raw materials that are used.
Nevertheless, the choice of one olive oil rather than another significantly effects the final result.
The Premio Flaminio seeks to develop awareness among chefs with regard to the importance of olive oil in every dish and “imposes”, as an ingredient in the recipes used in the competition, the selection that best expresses the terroir of Trevi: Olio Flaminio Dop Umbria Colli Assisi Spoleto.
This olive oil is produced at the beginning of October, when the olive is still bitter, from Moraiolo olives in the municipality of Trevi. An olive oil that is very rich in polyphenols, with pronounced notes of bitterness and spiciness that requires talent, knowledge and originality to be skilfully paired.
Extra-virgin olive oil is a true ingredient that can genuinely influence the success or failure of a dish, not just a lubricant to purchase at the best price, without considering its sensory qualities.