You've heard of wine tasting. But have you ever considered hosting an olive oil tasting? It's a great way to educate your palate and introduce your friends to this health-enhancing and versatile oil.

    I attended a very interesting olive oil tasting put on by Bari Olive Oil and taught by olive oil expert Nancy Ash, owner of Strictly Olive Oil. There, I learned something unbelievable: Most Americans like the taste of rancid olive oil! It's disgusting but true, because that's all most know. Ms. Ash said that rancid olive oil is sold in many stores and that if you use decanters of olive oil placed on the tables of many restaurants, that's what you're getting. Even many otherwise-educated chefs use rancid olive oil without knowing it.

     But you can be amongst the educated few by having a casual but elegant olive oil party at your home.

     The fun begins with choosing your olive oils. Go to your favorite specialty store and choose five extra virgin olive oils. (If you can, choose bottles with a bottling date to help guarantee freshness.) You could have a theme and choose oils from different countries or from different regions of Italy. Or you could choose five extra virgin olive oils in the same price range. Alternatively, you could engage the efforts of your guests by having each bring their own bottle.

     Be sure to invite only enough people to fit around your dining table. Oil can be messy, so you want your guests to have plenty of elbow room to limit the possibility of spills.

     Before your guests arrive, place a large "placemat" made of a large sheet of white paper at each person's place. (Plain white paper is best so your guests' senses won't be overwhelmed during the delicate process of tasting. And paper is a lot safer than your favorite tablecloth in the event of any spills.)

     On each mat, place the following: five wine glasses, one small disposable cup lined with a paper napkin (to use as a spitting cup), a small glass of water, several slices of apple, a pen and a notepad.

       When you have collected your bottles of olive oil, place each one in a paper bag with either a rubber ban around the neck so you can pour the oil without anyone seeing the label. Mark the bags A, B, C, D and E. Pour a small amount of oil into each glass, then cover the top with a piece of paper marked with the appropriate letter.

        At the tasting I went to, Ms. Ash told us that a tasting consists of the four "Ss" -- swirl, sniff, slurp and swallow. So, when everyone is ready, have your guests uncover the glass labeled "A," and swirl the oil in the bottom as if they were swirling a glass of wine to release the aroma, except that they should keep their other hand over the top.

     When they're done swirling, have them stick their nose into the glass and take a big whiff. Ask them whether the oil smells delicious or unpleasant. Is the smell powerful or faint? Does it remind them of anything? Have them record their responses.

     Now have everyone take a sip and slurp back the olive oil, making a slurping noise as they do so. (This helps them fully taste the oil.) Finally, tell everyone to swallow and note any bitterness, spiciness or pungency they detect. Does the oil have a peppery taste that tickles their throat on the way down? Have them write their impressions.

      Allow about ten minutes between tastings during which they can compare notes with each other. Everyone should take a sip of water and eat a little apple to clear their palate before moving on to the next oil.

       When you're finished with the actual tasting, you may want to have everyone try the different oils on pieces of bread or with different kinds of cheese. You could wash the wine glasses and turn party into an Italian wine and antipasti party, or a full-blown dinner.

      Olive oil has a pretty short shelf life, so now that the bottles are open, they should be used within the next couple of months. You could make sure that happens by sending each guest home with a bottle as a warm memento of a fun occasion.