Whats the difference between olive oil and extra virgin olive oil?

What is ‘Olive Oil’

A. Olive oil is olive juice, plain and simple.

What is ‘Virgin?’

A. Virgin means mechanical extraction. The oil or juice is extracted by machines with no chemicals used in the process.

What is ‘Extra’?

A. Mechanically extracted (virgin) olive oil is not all the same quality. ‘Extra’ is the highest quality and is thus classified because it goes through a battery of tests, both laboratory (analytical) as well as ‘taste’ (a cutting by an olive oil master similar to the way wines are taste tested). Virgin olive oil that is judged to have ‘no defects’ is classified as extra. So ‘extra virgin’ means – mechanically extracted olive juice that passes laboratory and taste testing with no defects.

Olive oil with slight defects, but that is still good for human consumption is classified as ‘Fine’. Low quality oil with numerous defects is classified as either ‘Ordinary’ or ‘Lampante’ (lamp oil). This oil is either used for industrial purposes or is chemically refined.

extra virgin is from the first pressing of the olives. don’t know if it would make a large difference in the recipe.