Rafa Zafra and Alberto Pacheco from Estimar and Juanjo López Bedmar from La Tasquita de Enfrente, have combined their expertise and recipes in a unique get-together to showcase the benefits of frying with Montabes Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Sustainable, healthy and economical: this is what makes Montabes Homegrown EVOO the perfect oil for frying, given its balanced flavour and high performance in fryers as a result of its high content of natural antioxidants.

Madrid, April 2022.- Extra virgin olive oil is also known as “liquid gold”, and no wonder. It is present in a multitude of Spanish and international dishes and, although this ‘elixir’ is widely acclaimed all over the world, it still raises a number of questions, especially when it comes to frying. With a view to raising awareness of all the benefits of frying with EVOO, renowned chefs Rafa Zafra and Alberto Pacheco from Estimar, and Juanjo López Bedmar from La Tasquita de Enfrente, undertook to dispel false myths surrounding this ancestral culinary technique when using Extra Virgin Olive Oil. “Frying is one of the most important techniques in our gastronomy; it’s how we envelop the soul of the product to enhance it and bring out the best it can offer. Frying with EVOO guarantees the flavour and texture of the raw material, no doubt about it”, says Juanjo López Bedmar. Different frying recipes were showcased during the event held in Madrid, using Montabes Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Monva.

Montabes is a top-of-the-range olive oil of the Picual variety, produced and packaged in Sierra Mágina (Jaén). It has an intense fruity flavour and a very high content of oleic acid, antioxidants and natural provitamins. There is a false belief, contrary to scientific consensus, that it is borderline sacrilegious to fry food with unrefined oils, such as sunflower oil, thinking it to be more economical and interfere less with the taste and aroma of the food being prepared. This event served to demonstrate that the particular chemical properties of Montabes Extra Virgin Olive Oil make frying much more delicious and healthy, as well as economical and sustainable. Health has become increasingly relevant in recent years in all areas, including, of course, food. In the case of frying with EVOO, its many scientifically-proven benefits make it a healthy cooking technique. Frying in EVOO creates a seal or coating around the food that reduces the absorption of oil during the process, meaning better digestion and a certain freshness to the fried food, as the inside reaches a lower cooking temperature and does not alter the flavour of the fried food, which is more tender on the inside and crispier on the outside due to the lower absorption of oil during the frying process. “Looking after our customers’ diet and ensuring them good digestion is one of the reasons they keep coming back. It is part of our commitment to quality,” says Rafa Zafra, Chef at Estimar. On the economic side, the Quality Standard for Heated Oils and Fats specifies when the oil in a fryer has to be changed: when the rate of polar compounds reaches a maximum of 25%. In this way, a higher-performance oil, such as Montabes—due to its unique chemical properties—will take longer to generate these compounds, hence requiring less frequent changing. Its special resistance to oxidation means it is highly profitable in terms of cost and benefit.

In terms of sustainability, it’s important to emphasise that Monva’s Homegrown EVOO comes from sustainable crops and that there are no chemical refining processes involved. It is obtained cold using 100% physical and mechanical means, without the use of additives or chemical products, and its carbon footprint is minimal, which makes it the most environmentally friendly solution when frying.

There is currently an absolute scientific consensus on the nutritional superiority of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) in the preparation of fried foods, also in the hotel/catering sector, compared to other chemically refined oils, such as “high oleic” sunflower oil. Monva wanted to introduce the use of Montabes EVOO in fried foods with the help of key figures in the catering sector, at an event which demonstrated that flavour, health, sustainability and economy can go hand in hand thanks to Montabes Extra Virgin Olive Oil. “Thanks to its high oleic acid content and the presence of natural antioxidants, we are able to preserve the healthy properties of fried foods. We optimise the frying process, with lower absorption of oil by the food, which makes it easier to digest,” says Luis Montabes, Sales Director at Monva.

About MONVA Mr Francisco Montabes and Ms Araceli Vañó, descendants of olive-growing families who, since the end of the 18th century, have been dedicated to caring for olive trees and the extraction of olive oil, acquired the Cortijo Virgen de los Milagros in 1972. That is how Montabes Vañó, S.L. (MONVA) was born; a company that today continues to uphold the tradition, experience and values of its founders. We carry out the entire cycle of obtaining Extra Virgin Olive Oil, from the cultivation of our 650 hectares of olive groves to its final packaging, in the foothills of the Sierra Mágina mountain range, in Jaén, under strict quality control and environmental protection standards.