Tony DeMarco shares the best olive oils from Spain and Portugal on this week's episode of The Main Course. Patrick Martins welcomes Tony DeMarco of Amphora Products (who provides olive oils for Fairway Market) to talk about the history of olive oil throughout Europe. Learn why the 2012 olive harvest was of particular high quality, and hear how global warming has been affecting olive trees and the growth of the olive fruit. Tony and Patrick talk about Fairway Markets' Steve Jenkins, and his passion for the world's best olive oils. Learn how olives are harvested, and the role of production in olive oil quality. What is the shelf-life of good olive oil, and what is the proper way to store it? Tune in to hear Patrick and Tony taste some premium olive oils on air! This program has been brought to you by Tabard Inn.

"The olive tree is really made to grow wild. It is basically a weed that farmers have learned to cultivate over the years." [7:30]

"If you go to Costco or Walmart and get a three-liter jug of olive oil, you don't know where it comes from, and you don't know if it's produced with hexane- a cancer causing chemical." [13:30]

"Olive varieties are not as important as grapes in wine, but what's more important is the production." [27:00]

-- Tony DeMarco on The Main Course

Mark Ladner, chef at Del Posto, joins Dave, Nastassia, and Piper for this week's Cooking Issues! Dave talks about his upcoming trip to Senegal, and the importance of learning about authentic cuisine from different regions around the world. Dave revisits a question about rice noodles, and then delves into different types of miso. How can one substitute duck fat into baking recipes? Later, Mark weighs in on the bacon vs. pancetta debate. What does he prefer when making a carbonara? The cast tastes different olive oils to decide what temperatures and cooking times cause flavor to degrade. Want to try Mark's Italian-style barbecue? Buy your tickets here! This program has been sponsored by Underground Meats.

"Poorly-made industrial pancetta is absolute garbage. It's too salty; just stick with the bacon for carbonara." [22:00] -- Mark Ladner on Cooking Issues

Three million tonnes of liquid gold have been produced this year and no we're not talking about bullion, we're talking about olive oil. From it's first sightings on ancient Egyptian pyramids to the many different styles and pressings today, olive oil has been a staple of life for thousands of years. With the help of oil importer and expert Tony DeMarco, Linda Pelaccio takes you on an organoleptic retrospective of one of the worlds oldest delicacies. From it's early uses helping sustain traveling Roman Armies to the recent discoveries of its health benefits and uses in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, this week's A Taste of The Past will provide you with an encyclopedic view of this amazing but hard to grow tree crop. Also, tune in for a live tasting of some of the best olive oils in the world at the end of the show! This episode is sponsored by Fairway Market.