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sine can exist without evo oil. Added atthe end, uncooked, it gives a touch offlavour and Italian spirit to dishes”.The use of oil is very old. Justthink that ancient peoples, includingthe Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans,used it not as a dressing but alsoas a medication or as a prize forgreat warriors.“ Let us not forget that if man makeswine, nature makes oil. Man must onlyextract it from the drupes at the besttime and store it in containers, whereit can be kept at the best conditions toachieve the delicate aroma, given by themild temperatures of the areas near thesea or the lakes, or the decisive, fruityflavour of the dryer, colder inland areas.Certainly, we chefs have the hard taskof understanding which is the best oilto use for each dish. We can’t gowrong”.A wrong combination can jeopardisethe result of the recipe, while aparticularly successful one enhancesits balance and flavour. It would beagoodideaifeverychefwidenedhisknowledge about it.“It seems trivial, but this isn’t thecase. Perhaps we do not yet attach e-nough importance to oil. Extra-virginoil presents a variety of flavours andperfumes, which is combined accordingto the dish in question and to the varioustype of cooking. For example, asweet, soft oil, with a subtle perfume isused for fried dishes and fried fish, butalso to dress salads and sour vegetables.Instead, a medium-fruity, round, fragrantoil is stronger and combines wellwith meat in the Alba style or withtomato, with fried lake or river fish orwhite meats, but also with pulses andfish soups. Finally a very fruity, penetratingoil which stings the throat ismore suitable for dressing boiled beef,braised meats and red grilled meats. Itisn’t always easy to try to enhance thetaste and flavour of a dish, but it is theduty of we chefs, even if each of uschooses the combination followingour own personal taste and imagination”.Oil lends itself to different types ofcooking. It can be used in variousways, giving different flavours andtastes to the palate. We must alwaysmonitor the temperature of the oil,because if it reaches a certain heatthreshold, toxic substances can form.“You’re right Luigi, in fact the tablesof the Institute of Health indicate“smoking points”, i.e. the temperatureat which acrolein, a toxic substance,forms. For seed oils, the maximumlimit is 190°C, while for extra-virgin o-live oil it is 220°C. This is why it is fundamentalto monitor temperatureswith special thermometers, also becauseifyoufrywithoilwhichisn’thotenough, you incorporate a higher percentageof fat into the food giving anunpleasant final result. In the restauranttrade, if you do not have to prepareforalotofcovers,itisalwaysbettertouse a frying pan changing a quality oilfrequently, rather than filling lots of fryersand re-using the oil too manytimes”.Oil is also indispensable in onionand herbs browned in oil and inbrowning as well as for frying.“In fact, oil is the ideal element forbrowning onion and herbs. In this wayan ingredient is cooked in just a littlehot fat, at a high heat, until it isbrowned, i.e. sealed, on all sides. Thistypeofcookingisusedasabaseformeat and fish sauces, for pasta or risottos,but also for stewed vegetables or forsecond courses of meat and fish. While,thanks to the action of heat, browning