Infused Oils: Flavour Extraction into Fat

Ottolenghi Flavour's treatment of infused oils as a finishing technique — drizzled over dishes at the moment of serving — draws from the Italian aglio olio tradition, the Chinese chilli oil tradition, and the Middle Eastern za'atar oil tradition simultaneously. The technique is universal: fat extracts and concentrates fat-soluble aromatic compounds, which are then distributed across a dish in a thin film at the moment of serving.

Flavoured oils made by gently warming a neutral or flavoured base oil with aromatics (herbs, spices, citrus peel, chilli, garlic) to extract their fat-soluble compounds, then straining and using as a finishing drizzle at the moment of serving.

Infused oils provide the final aromatic layer of a dish — applied at the moment of serving, they are the last thing the palate encounters. Because fat carries aroma directly to the olfactory system, even a small drizzle of a well-made infused oil transforms the aromatic profile of a dish completely. They are the finishing touch that separates a complete dish from an assembled one.