You can only do it in three places: in New York, in London and in Den Bosch: the training as an olive oil sommelier. You may not think about it soon, but it is indeed a profession. Wilma van Grinsven-Padberg is such a sommelier and opened the training on Monday.
An olive oil sommelier is a qualified professional who rates olive oil and chooses, for example, restaurants. Just like a wine sommelier, an olive oil sommelier has a lot of knowledge of the various factors that influence the taste and quality of olive oil.
“There are only 500 people around the world who practice the profession,” Wilma knows. And the training can only be found in three places in the world. In America, England and, since Monday, in the capital of our own Brabant. On Monday, 21 participants from all over the world followed the five -day training for the first time. This afternoon they learned about the scent, color and taste of the product. Among other things by tasting it.
Wilma learned a lot about the oil during her own education in New York. “I did not know that it is no longer for more than two years, that you should not buy it in a transparent bottle and I did not know that many supermarkets sell bad olive oil, because consumers do not know what the right scent and taste is.”
And to spread Wilma’s knowledge among the Dutch, she started her own olive oil institute. “Many Dutch people know little about olive oil,” says Wilma.
Smells of grass
Where do you recognize an olive oil that is of quality? “A good one extra virgin smells of grass. It is very healthy and is full of antioxidants. You can recognize a bad one by the smell of old butter and nuts. Often there is something on the label like Clasico Or mild olive oil. It smells a bit like you didn’t clean the fryer, “she says.
Student from South Korea
One of the students who are in Wilma’s class on Monday is 21-year-old James Oh. He came to the Netherlands all the way from South Korea to gain knowledge about olive oil. “There is no education in and around my own country. So I come all the way here,” he says in English.
Another participant, Dick Vink, likes to learn everything about the oil. “What color it has, where it comes from, what it is and how it tastes .. Everyone here loves olive oil,” he says. “And if you are interested in it you want to know more. It is so interesting because it is such a healthy product.”