Ode to Olives

“Olive oil is fresh juice,” says Claudia Pharand of Olive & Olives, a Montreal shop devoted almost exclusively to the gourmet kitchen staple. “The fresher the olive oil is, the more antioxidants it has,” she says. Everything in the shop is produced and bottled where the olives grow, and you can sample it all before you buy it. I taste-tested oils reminiscent of spicy, fresh-cut grass (not that I eat a lot of grass), peaches and pink grapefruit, and lemony figs. If you can’t be part of Claudia’s two-hour olive-oil workshops, here is an abridged version of her wisdom:

• “Always have two olive oils on hand – one for everyday use, and the other for salads and bread.”
• “Don’t buy olive oils that are sitting in a shop window sill or on top shelves near the lights.”
• “If there are no dates on the bottles, don’t touch them.”

The store also carries tapenades and mustards by popular Quebec caterer Denise Cornellier. Visit oliveolives.com.
- Doug Wallace, Deputy Editor