Taste the Olive Oil, No Bread Needed

I’ve grown quite used to tasting olive oil on its own.  

At home, whenever we go out to dine and the ubiquitous bread basket is placed on the table, I’ll often dip my spoon in the small dish filled with oil before anyone has dunked their bread in, simply to taste.

So, you can imagine my delight when I discovered that at nearly every place we’ve eaten at here in Tuscany, the oil has been served in a small dish…without bread, for no other reason that to taste it, just like I do in California.

If you’re at an actual olive oil tasting, doing so with bread is simply not necessary.

Why complicate things by adding gluten to an otherwise quite enjoyable experience?

Wondering how to cleanse your palate between tasting without the yeasty stuff?  A small slice of tart apple following by a swig of still water will do the trick perfectly.

Salute!