Extra Virginity

The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil

By: Tom Mueller

Narrated by: Peter Ganim

For millennia, fresh olive oil has been a necessity - for food, medicine, beauty, and religion. Today's researchers continue to confirm the remarkable, life-giving properties of true extra-virgin, and "extra-virgin Italian" has become the highest standard of quality. But what if this symbol of purity has become deeply corrupt?

Starting with an explosive article in The New Yorker, Tom Mueller has become the world's expert on olive oil and olive oil fraud - a story of globalization, deception, and crime from ancient times to the present, and a powerful indictment of today's lax protections against fake and even toxic food products in the United States. Extra Virginity is an inspiring account of the people who are defending the extraordinary oils that truly deserve the name "extra-virgin".

©2012 Tom Mueller (P)2011 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Fantastic Audiobook

What did you love best about Extra Virginity?

You will crave high-quality olive oil during and after reading this book. Fantastic narration, juicy history, and a nice dose of business and politics this book has it all. Olive Oil is such a rich topic, from mafiosos to Greek gods and models it is a truly rich subject. The author appreciates and is passionate about his subject.

What other book might you compare Extra Virginity to and why?

I compare this book to Onward (the autobiography of Starbucks founder) because the descriptions of the oil are much like the descriptions of the coffee roasts. They make you want to go to the nearest olive oil distributor!

Which character – as performed by Peter Ganim – was your favorite?

Peter Ganim is a fantastic narrator.

Great history of olive oil

What did you like best about Extra Virginity? What did you like least?

I enjoyed the first 25% of the book but after the next quarter i found myself fast forwarding to more repetitious chapters. I never finished the book. However for the money, it's worth it to learn this much about the history of olive oil while driving.

an informative 'read'

Is there anything you would change about this book?

i am interested in the overall topic of food production, its history and bumps along the way, including the adulteration along the way of various products, including olive oil. so this book is worth the time for a listen. it does go a bit slow, though. i think some tighter editing would have improved the book and made its overall message easier and quicker to absorb.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Extra Virginity?

the general description of how oil has been and is tampered with in its journey from the tree to the consumer is of central value to this book.

How could the performance have been better?

sadly, after listening to about 400 recorded books on this service, i found the narration of this title to be the worst i've encountered. ganim's reading of this book gets in the way of the story it is supposed to tell. this isn't a work of fiction where we want a bit of acting to spice up the characters. the fake accents of various interviewees were desperately poor and extremely annoying.

Excellent, keeps your interest!

I listened to this book in my car and really enjoyed it! Tom Mueller kept the subject fresh and relevant by introducing the reader to the history, and people (globally) that make olive oil the "liquid gold" that we consume. I will never buy a bottle again without reading the label. And I intend to educate myself on the flavor profiles of oil. This book is for the scholar, book-lover, agronomist, economist, traveler, foodie, and the casual cook alike.

Who Knew

Who knew that there was a book of olive oil. "Extra Virginity" was very interesting on olive oil Even though I don't cook, I know what food should taste like and olive oil is one of them. Interesting subject to study and taste.