European Extra Virgin Olive Oil Enters Taiwan’s Culinary Education

Taipei – Bringing the culture, quality and expertise of European extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) into Taiwan’s culinary and hospitality education is a key goal of “EVO OIL IN TW – The Excellence of European Olive Growing in Taiwan”. The three-year promotion programme, co-funded by the European Union under Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014, will hold three professional seminars in Taiwan on 2, 12 and 19 October 2026.

The seminars will take place at the School of Continuing Education of Chinese Culture University, at Jinwen University of Science and Technology and, in partnership with Hungkuang University, at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei. They are aimed at students of culinary and food-related programmes, future chefs and food service professionals.

The sessions are hands-on: olive oil tasting and sensory analysis, aroma recognition, comparison of the characteristics of different oils, and the use of extra virgin olive oil in cooking. Participants will gain the professional skills to select olive oil, use it well and bring out its value.

The first seminar will be led by extra virgin olive oil expert Ellen Wu. An advanced-level O.N.A.O.O. taster and a certified Olive Oil Sommelier with the Olive Oil Sommelier Association of Japan, she specialises in sensory analysis, olive oil knowledge and food culture.

“EVO OIL IN TW” is promoted by Associazione L’Olivicola Cosentina Soc. Coop. a r.l., an olive growers’ organisation from the province of Cosenza, Italy, bringing together some 7,100 producers. Over the next three years, through seminars, tastings, restaurant events and communication activities, the programme will introduce Taiwanese consumers and food professionals to the quality, origins and sensory diversity of European extra virgin olive oil, as well as to European quality schemes such as PDO and PGI.

For more information, visit https://rootsofexcellence.eu/ and follow the project’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.

For further information: https://rootsofexcellence.eu/contact-us/