Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Where this is stipulated, use the best-quality extra-virgin oil you can find. It is not the ideal oil for wok cookery, because its rich fruity taste is destroyed by high heat. However, nothing beats the taste of olive oil in salads and cold dishes, and it is the perfect complement to dishes with tomatoes.

In some of these recipes, you will find it combined with groundnut oil. This is not only an example of fusion cookery -where Eastern and Western ingredients are combined for a new and different taste - but is also done for a practical reason: the groundnut oil prevents the olive oil from burning, which would destroy all its delicious flavour.