If three Manitoba farmers grow the same variety of canola, logic suggests that the canola oil would be the same.
That assumption, it turns out, is wrong.
Chef Bryan Hendricks has taste-tested and cooked with three cold-pressed canola oils produced from Manitoba seed grown in Grandview, East Selkirk and Winkler.
He said the three oils not only have different flavours but also look different.
“My personal favourite is the darkest oil, which had the most robust flavour and came from the Grandview area,” said Hendricks, executive chef at the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts in Brandon.
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“All of the seeds were processed in exactly the same manner, so it was surprising to see such a difference based on geographic location.”
Hendricks was among the Manitoba chefs who participated in a project to see if variables such as climate, geography and soil affect the properties and taste of cold-pressed canola oil.
The Manitoba Agri-Health Re-search Network and the Manitoba Canola Growers Association initiated the project in 2013 and repeated the experiment last year.
Lee Anne Murphy, executive director of the research network, said the network teamed up with the canola growers association to evaluate the potential of a made-in-Manitoba product, which could compete with virgin olive oil.
The canola seed, grown with the same variety at the three farms, was cold pressed at the Food Development Centre in Portage la Prairie, Man.
Murphy and Ellen Pruden, education and promotion manager with the canola growers association, have worked with chefs to evaluate the three canola oils.
Nearly all the responses have been positive.
“Everybody wants to get more of it,” Pruden said.
“We’re out of our 2014 vintage…. We’re seeing if there is any stock left over that we can do another crush run.”
Farmers in Grandview, Winkler and East Selkirk will repeat the experiment this year.
Hendricks said cold-pressed canola oil is distinct from regular canola oil, which has a neutral flavour and light colour.
“It doesn’t really provide flavour to a dish, but it is used more as a medium for mouth feel and its ability to adhere to foods, such as in a vinaigrette and marinade or for sautéing,” he said.
Cold pressed canola oil has a nutty robust flavour and with the darker oils a deep and distinct taste profile, he added.
“Cold pressed canola oil also carries with it many health benefits as the low heat process does not destroy its nutritional value. Much like we hear of the health benefits of olive oil, the same can be said for this product.”
Murphy said one of the objectives of the project was to demonstrate the commercial viability of locally produced, cold-pressed canola oil.
“That’s the ultimate win for us, if this becomes an on-farm enterprise or a small business in a community, so we can add value right here in Manitoba.”
Like virgin olive oil, cold-pressed canola oil is pricey. Pruden said they are selling 250 millilitre bottles for around $10.
“Chefs and home cooks are more than willing to pay a higher premium for a good olive oil already.”
“To have another fine product… will only expand your repertoire of flavours that will entice and interest your guests.”
