Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day

Every year on September 30, Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day celebrates the world’s favorite finishing drizzle and cooking staple, inviting people to explore flavor, freshness, and the craft behind great olive oil.

History of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day is a modern food observance that settled on a fixed date—September 30—across popular holiday calendars, which helped it spread beyond specialty circles to home cooks and restaurants alike. Listings consistently mark the day as an annual celebration of quality oil and the surrounding traditions.

Some calendars credit The Passionate Olive with championing the observance and helping it gain traction online, where simple “taste-and-learn” ideas encouraged more people to try side-by-side tastings and talk about harvest dates, varieties, and regions. That approachable tone is part of why the holiday has stuck.

Why is Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day important?

Because a good bottle is both ingredient and story—about growers, harvests, and the landscapes they come from. Taking one day to notice what’s in your pantry nudges you to look for freshness, learn a bit about cultivars, and taste more intentionally instead of treating oil as background.

It also turns everyday cooking into a small ritual of care. Choosing a peppery finish for soup or a gentle, buttery oil for roasted vegetables changes the whole dish. When you pay attention to flavor and provenance, you end up buying better, wasting less, and supporting producers who value quality.

• It makes tasting and learning feel easy.
• It spotlights freshness instead of flashy packaging.
• It encourages support for responsible producers.
• It helps home cooks match oils to dishes.
• It turns a pantry staple into a shared experience.

How to Celebrate Extra Virgin Olive Oil Da

Keep it simple with a mini tasting. Pour three small saucers—any decent EVOO you have, plus one new bottle if you can—and taste with plain bread or apple slices. Notice bitterness, fruitiness, and peppery “pinch” in the throat; jot quick notes and pick your favorite for salad, cooking, and finishing. For smarter shopping next time, look for a harvest date and plan to use the bottle within a year or so of that date.

Make dinner around the oil. Drizzle over ripe tomatoes, stir into warm beans, finish a pan of roasted potatoes, or whisk a fast vinaigrette. If you’re feeling curious, compare two regions (say, a Spanish Picual and an Italian Coratina) and discuss which dishes each suits best; tasting side by side is the fastest way to learn.

• Host a five-minute EVOO tasting at the table.
• Check your bottle for a harvest date and store it cool and dark.
• Try one new origin or variety and note where it shines.
• Share a quick tip or favorite bottle with a friend.
• Finish a simple dish with a generous last drizzle.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day Dates Table