We Found The Absolute Best Olive Oil To Dip Your Bread In

One of the pleasures of dining out at a Mediterranean restaurant is the basket of fresh-baked ciabatta or sourdough bread and its accompanying bowl of fruity olive oil served before your meal. Restaurant bread-dipping oil has a certain mystical allure, as its flavor can't quite be recaptured at home. Unless you buy the right extra virgin olive oil, that is. Since 2019, we have seen fraudulent olive oil flood the market, with the majority of these artificial mixed blends found in Europe. Thankfully, Tasting Table's own Emily Hunt tested the best olive oils for dipping bread; her top pick is none other than the California-based Sciabica's Mediterranean Medley Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 

Sciabica's EVOO is made by cold-pressing California-grown olives with oregano, basil, rosemary, and garlic, and is enhanced by the use of the "Agrumato-Method," in which olives are likewise crushed together with fruits, herbs, and even peppers. The resulting oil has a more heightened flavor than other olive oils, especially those produced from multiple countries (a major olive oil red flag). Thankfully, all "California Olive Oil" branded oils are legally required (since 2021) to be made solely from olives grown in the Golden State. Even better, the Sciabica family has been making olive oil — first in Sicily before leaving Europe for Modesto, California — for over 100 years, best known for their single-varietal virgin olive oils that are crafted like fine wines. Sounds perfect to us.

California olive oils are the best for several reasons. In the European Union, labeling olive oil as "extra virgin" can be as misleading as those labeled, for example, "made in Italy." Consequently, you can't always be sure you're getting EVOO in the EU. However, in California, all extra virgin olive oils must pass the most stringent of certification requirements. One of the major differences between virgin olive oil and regular olive oil is that the former has a much higher percentage of polyphenols. Polyphenol is a plant-based chemical compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and it can only be determined by chemical analysis. Since 1998, the California Olive Oil Council has enforced rigorous chemical and taste testing on all California-based EVOOs before they can be certified as authentic. Because of this, if you buy the California brand, you buy the real deal.

Professional tasters treat EVOO like a master sommelier tasting wine, swirling, sniffing, sipping, and swallowing in a special blue glass. You probably don't need to go to such extremes, but you could sample different extra virgin olive oils by dunking a bit of bread in each one to decide whether you prefer a fruitier or more peppery taste. Tasting Table writer Emily Hunt described Sciabica's Mediterranean Medley Extra Virgin Olive Oil as both buttery and herbal, fantastic for not only dipping bread but also for drizzling over roasted potatoes and other pasta dishes.