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LISA MULLINS: A big part of life anywhere is the food. And in many Middle Eastern countries, such as Lebanon, the local diet is rich in olive oil. Doctors tell us that olive oil is good for us. It's a source of unsaturated fat which helps lower cholesterol levels. The World's Aaron Schachter isn't thinking too much about the healthy aspects of olive oil. He's thinking it tastes good. Aaron sent us this audio postcard from Beirut.

AARON SCHACHTER: First of all, I gotta be honest: I just cannot be objective about olive oil. I love the stuff. Between you and me it's the real reason I stay in the Middle East. So when I saw that Beirut's annual hospitality and food show included an olive oil competition, I had to go and meet some real olive oil experts.

HIYAM SINNO: I am Hiyam Sinno.

SCHACHTER: Sinno heads the Chemistry Department at the Lebanese Agriculture Research Institute, and whatever there is to know about olive oil she knows it. Like what "extra virgin" actually means.

SINNO: It means its acidity is less than zero-point-eight.

SCHACHTER: That's it; extra virgin just has to do with acidity?

SINNO: The classification has to do with the acidity. But now we have the organoleptic also...

SCHACHTER: The what?

SINNO: Tasting and smelling.

SCHACHTER: Those scientists have crazy names for everything but that doesn't make them immune from old wives' tales.

SINNO: We have an Arabic proverb which says "have a spoonful of olive oil in the morning and break the wall." Break the wall. The importance of olive oil for the health.

SCHACHTER: Makes you strong.

SINNO: Makes you strong, to break a wall. Also, another importance is you can put it on your body if you have a rash.

SCHACHTER: Are you going to tell me what we call in the US "old wives' tales," olive oil can cure anything; if you're blind, rub olive oil...

SINNO: That's too much, it's too much.

SCHACHTER: I did once use olive oil for a back rub but that's probably more than you needed to know. So, let's get back to the organoleptic part, shall we.

SINNO: We have to warm it, so that the aroma will come and we smell it. See? Would you taste it? Taste, yes taste. No, no, smell. Okay, taste. Don't swallow, bring air inside. It's not acidic, it's peppery.

SCHACHTER: Oh, it's burning a little bit now.

SINNO: Yes, that's the peppery taste I was telling you about.

SCHACHTER: See, when I first came here I thought that meant there was something wrong with the oil.

SINNO: No, no, no, no...

SCHACHTER: One of the other tasters points out that this olive oil also has hints of green tomato, a taste unique to Lebanon. The fact is that your average, workaday olive oil in Lebanon is better than just about anything you can get in the US as I confirmed when I visited the booth of a company Boulos. I'm standing here with George Abboud, from Boulos. I happen to love Boulos olive oil. It is the standard oil that I get in the supermarket where I live. It's not very expensive, and it tastes incredible. But it's cloudy. Americans won't have cloudy olive oil. Why, what is the difference?

GEORGE ABBOUD: It's about culture, it's about how people are used to it.

SCHACHTER: So change our culture. Please, I'm begging you.

ABBOUD: It's not easy and it's not a matter of days or years, it's about centuries to change everything.

SCHACHTER: Well, I'm already hooked, but then again, perhaps I've just drunk the olive oil and can't really be an impartial critic. For The World, I'm Aaron Schachter in Beirut.

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