Cooking oil

Cooking oil is a fat, usually of plant origin and more rarely of animal origin, that is used for frying, baking, dressing and preparing food. Because of its versatility and the wide range of types available, it is a basic ingredient in almost every cuisine in the world.

History

Cooking oil has no single origin. People have used fats extracted from seeds, fruits and animal tissues since early times, and each region developed the oils within its reach. Olive oil, for instance, was used for frying across the Mediterranean for thousands of years, and it remains one of the clearest historical references for this ingredient.

With the industrialisation of vegetable oil production from the nineteenth century onwards, solvent extraction and refining made it possible to manufacture seed oils such as soybean, rapeseed, sunflower and corn oil on a large scale. Later, hydrogenation turned liquid oils into solid fats, which led to margarine and other industrial fats. Today the trade in oils is global, and traditional oils compete with blends of several vegetable oils sold generically as vegetable oil.

Culture

Oil is a central part of everyday life in many cultures. In Mediterranean kitchens, olive oil accompanies bread, salads and fried foods, while in Asia peanut, sesame or rice bran oils are common, depending on the culinary tradition of each area. Other cuisines rely on animal fats such as lard, ghee or butter, which keep their role in traditional dishes.

In home and professional cooking, oil is chosen according to its use: mild oils with a high smoke point are preferred for frying, while oils with more character are kept for dressing salads or finishing dishes. Oil is also infused with herbs, pepper, garlic or chilli, although flavoured oils that are stored for long periods need careful handling to avoid the risk of Clostridium botulinum.