The image of a renowned chef delicately drizzling extra virgin olive oil over a caprese salad, preparing a refreshing gazpacho, or coating Middle Eastern grape leaf rolls is now a symbol of luxury. This is because olive oil prices are reaching record highs on supermarket shelves.

Over the past decade, olive trees—some of the oldest cultivated trees in the world—have become more vulnerable. Many Mediterranean olive groves have dried up due to increasingly extreme weather conditions, such as prolonged droughts and hailstorms followed by floods.

In 2023, the region experienced, like many other parts of the planet, the hottest summer ever recorded.

The countries with the highest olive oil production, such as Italy, Greece, and Spain, were the most affected. Consequently, chefs and consumers alike found themselves in need of seeking alternatives for such a fundamental ingredient in the kitchen.

“I have never seen a drought like this in my entire life,” says Rossella Boeri, an olive oil producer and a fifth-generation member of the family that owns Olio Roi in Badalucco, in the Liguria region of northwestern Italy.

In Almeria, Andalusia (southern Spain), Rafael Alonso Barrau confirms the declining numbers. He is a seventh-generation farmer and owner of Oro del Desierto.

“Last year, we produced 15% less than the average over the last 20 years,” he states. “We can consider that normal since olive trees do not produce the same amount every year, and annual variations are expected. But this year, we had less than 45% of our usual production, which makes a huge difference.”

The reasons for the low figures vary, but for Barrau, climate change is the main cause of the crisis.

“The concern is that our summers are getting longer and hotter, and we believe this is harming production viability.”

While olive oil producers struggle to survive, consumers also feel the consequences. Large corporations, described by Boeri as “cartels,” are driving up prices, harming smaller family-run businesses, and causing panic in supermarkets.

Even an increase in olive oil thefts in Spanish supermarkets has been observed. According to Mintec, a company specializing in commodity market data analysis and forecasting, Spanish olive oil prices rose by 115% between September 2022 and September 2023.

The impact of rising product prices is being felt worldwide, with Europe being particularly affected. This is partly because, for many Europeans, olive oil is not just an ingredient—it is an irreplaceable cultural symbol.

“It’s like blood to the human body; it’s part of who I am, and as a chef, it’s the foundation of everything I do,” says Matteo D’Elia, head chef and owner of the Umami restaurant in Badalucco, Italy.

For him, “the diversity of high-quality olive oils is not just about taste; it also provides an understanding of our terroir [the soil where something is grown and its characteristics], just like with wine.”

“Different regions and soils offer very distinct flavors, allowing us to extract both the oil and the environment it comes from—which is truly amazing to me.”

For chef Diomis Angelos of La Muna restaurant in Davos, Switzerland, the heart and soul of Greek cuisine can be found in a bottle.

“I remember my yiayia [grandmother] in our village near Volos [central Greece], preparing fasolakia ladera [literally, ‘green beans in olive oil’] and using oil from the family’s ancient olive grove,” he shares.

“Yiayia would start by heating a generous amount of olive oil in a pan, and the aroma of the warm oil signaled that the family feast was about to begin. She would add finely chopped garlic and onions, allowing them to soften and blend into the oil before adding fresh beans, potatoes, and ripe tomatoes,” he recalls.

But what alternatives do chefs and home cooks have in the face of prohibitive olive oil prices?

Creativity in Cooking

In Crete, the largest Greek island, Poppy Kourkoutaki is the chef at Bacchus restaurant in the Minos Beach Art hotel.

She believes there is no true substitute for olive oil in her recipes. However, she states that by observing other Greek traditions and cultures (such as the slow-cooking process of chef Angelos’ grandmother), Mediterranean recipes can still be enhanced even in times of olive oil scarcity.

“For flavorful dishes without relying heavily on olive oil, the secret lies in the process. Actions like lowering the temperature for slow cooking stews or even using a ceramic pot, such as the Cretan clay pot called moshari sto pilino, can make all the difference,” Kourkoutaki explains.

“In Crete, our ancestors used ceramic pots for centuries. In the rural villages near my restaurant overlooking Mirabello Bay, they still use them with excellent results, as the pot retains heat much better. And the slow sautéing technique extracts all the flavors and juices from the ingredients, requiring only a little olive oil.”

The chef also reveals that it is possible to completely eliminate olive oil in slow-cooked dishes by preparing a rich bone broth instead.

“Basically, instead of relying on olive oil as a fat source, you use the fat from meat or fish—an ancient food preservation technique from a time when refrigerators did not exist,” she explains.

“This technique is not as common anymore because, frankly, it is not as healthy as our nutritious and rich extra virgin olive oil, which we produce here on the island of Crete. However, it is a good solution when oils are more expensive and harder to find.”

Renowned baker Nicola Olivieri agrees that creativity in the kitchen can provide solutions to tackle the olive oil crisis.

His bakery, Olivieri 1882 in Arzignano, Veneto (northern Italy), is famous for its award-winning holiday products, such as the beloved Christmas panettone and the Easter leavened bread called Fugassa Veneta. The bakery has been in the family for five generations.

Unlike many Italian recipes, panettone uses butter as its fat source, which inspired Olivieri to develop other popular foods that do not depend on olive oil.

“I admire the versatility of olive oil and believe I have rarely prepared a meal without using it in at least one of my dishes,” he shares. “However, there are other important Italian dishes that have cultural significance in the Mediterranean.”

“For focaccia and baked goods, strutto, a type of pork fat, can be a good substitute for making bread, grissini, and even cakes,” he explains. “Even seed oils can be used as alternatives.”

“But it’s important to note that they will alter the recipe since their flavor is relatively neutral, so they will not provide the same depth and aroma as olive oil,” Olivieri emphasizes.

Cristina Brizzolari, owner of the artisanal rice brand Riso Buono, stresses that high-quality olive oil is one of the main ingredients in dishes like risotto. She follows the philosophy that “with little, we can go far.”

“Living in Casalbeltrame, Novara, in northwestern Italy, I am fortunate to be surrounded by high-quality olive oil producers,” she shares. “I can always go directly to farms to support my fellow farmers.”

“With that, you can economize on quantity during use, as superior-grade cold-pressed oils have a much stronger and more pronounced flavor—you only need a little to appreciate the true flavors of the Mediterranean.”

For Rossella Boeri, high-quality olive oil is an integral part of culture and is worth fighting for.

“Despite three years of production under drought and high temperatures, we are the fifth generation of olive oil producers. We will continue to face climate conditions and produce excellent, high-quality olive oil, just as our family has done since 1877.”