Just like wine, there's an olive oil to match every dish we eat. With so much variety and complexity of flavour to consider, it's time to master a new culinary discipline .

Olive oil is more than just a vehicle for cooking; it is something that has a very strong cultural identity in different parts of Europe. As I'm from Portugal, olive oil has been such a presence in my life. It’s so diverse and varied – I feel like we don’t know enough about it. Most of us still buy just one oil and use it for everything. We don’t look at flavour profiles or the terroir or what it adds to food. But it’s such a curious product.

I love the “mouth feel” of olive oil, and the way it hits your palate. It adds a really nice fragrance. Most speciality olive oils are made from one type of olive, from one specific terroir. Each oil is reflective of the type of olive. There probably aren’t as many varieties of olive as there are of grape, but there are nonetheless a huge amount. All have different flavour profiles – they can be nutty, or sharp, or buttery.

Like wine, a lot of olive oils change after they are pressed – sometimes they’re quite grassy to begin with, and develop as they sit and mature. As the grassiness settles, you can sense the profile flavour of the oil and the terroir shining through.

When you see olive oil as an ingredient in itself, you can seriously consider having as many as 15 varieties in your kitchen because they fit different purposes. Some are suitable for salad dressings, some for seafood, and some for different types of meat. I use olive oil in my desserts at Taberna do Mercado. I’d like to think it’s healthy, but perhaps not in the amounts I consume it.

Below, I’ve listed my five favourite olive oils, and what to eat with them.

Tuscany, Italy

Perhaps one of the top oils in the world, this Italian extra virgin olive oil comes from one small farm in Tuscany and is used in top restaurants including The Fat Duck and The French Laundry. For an oil that costs £200 per litre, I would look to use this much in the same way I would use a truffle or other high-end ingredient. The flavour is so intense and it is so highly perfumed – even a simple bowl of rice would be the perfect accompaniment, as it needs a very neutral background to lift the product itself.

Douro, Portugal

This organic Portuguese oil is by no means the most expensive on the market. Its balanced profile means that it’s the perfect fit for Portuguese egg-based desserts, such as the pão de ló that we serve at my Spitalfields restaurant.

Priorat, Spain

A limited production oil made from 100 per cent Arbequina oils, this is an elegant and slightly sweet oil which comes from the Catalonian region of Priorat – an area also well known for its winemaking. This is an excellent finishing oil, perfect drizzled over carpaccio or with grilled fish.

Bairrada, Portugal

This is a quintessentially Portuguese oil – fresh, sharp, green and fruity. It’s made from five native varieties of olive, which contribute to its harmonious but complex profile. It’s great just with bread, but is also the perfect partner for the skate, potato and toasted garlic dish we currently have on the menu at Taberna do Mercado.

Algarve, Portugal

Produced on a small 20-hectare estate in the Eastern Algarve, Monterosa Extra Virgin oil is made using five native varieties of olive. The oil from each variety is very different in taste: the Verdeal is fresh, green and fruity, whereas the Picual has more depth and spice and a touch of bitterness. It calls for a simple background and works very well with grilled langoustines, which are in season at this time of year.