Edible Souvenirs

Olive Oil

Spanish olive oil has long been considered a crucial but ordinary commodity, something bought in earthenware or plastic jugs. But olive oil, like Spain’s culinary scene in general, is clearly experiencing a kind of renaissance. Mario Sandoval, star chef of the Michelin-starred Coque, concedes that using the appropriate Spanish olive oil is the key to his reinvented soldadito de Pavía (a tapa staple traditionally made of fried salt cod) and many other dishes on his tasting menu.

Spain has always been known for its olive oil, but it’s only in the last five years or so that they’ve sold it in nice bottles and paid attention to its origins. I’m told one reason is that many of the wineries have expanded into olive oil. Take Carlos Falcó (better known as the Marqués de Griñón), who makes world-class wines on his family estate, just outside of Toledo, and recently began producing an extra-virgin oil that’s sold in a Bordeaux-style bottle.

To see how this trend has developed, drop by Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero, an olive oil co-operative housed in a 19th-century building in Madrid’s trendy Chueca district. There, manager Pedro Javier Rodrigo flits around the shop extolling the virtues of Parqueoliva, a fruity oil from Córdoba that’s perfect for dipping with bread, and Antara, made from the aromatic arbequina olives from Siurana, said by some to be the best olives in Spain. Both bottles come with Denominación de Origen labels on the back, celebrating their Spanish heritage.

For premium Spanish olive oil and just about anything else you can think of, head to Gold Gourmet. Owned by Luis Pacheco Torres, who started the business in 2001 with his wife and two sons, this food emporium is familiar to almost every chef in Madrid. While I take my time admiring the quality of fruit and vegetables in the shop – Victoria grapes the size of golf balls, white asparagus from nearby Aranjuez, pale green melons from Villaconejos – Torres hand-picks honeycombed colmenilla mushrooms (morels) from a box in front of the store for, he coyly tells me, a “muy famoso” chef.

Coque, Francisco Encinas, 8, 34-91-604-0202, restaurantecoque.com
Gold Gourmet, C/Ortega y Gasset, 85-87, 34-91-402-0363, goldgourmet.es
Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero, 4ª Planta, C/Prim, 12, 34-91-532-4225, pco.es