I Love Olives!

Olives can not be eaten raw. Fresh olives from the tree are unbearably bitter and inedible.They must be cured before they can be eaten.

The only difference between green olives and black olives is ripeness. Unripe olives are green and fully ripe olives are black.

Olives are available in many forms: oil-cured, water-cured, brine-cured, dry-cured, lye-cured, pitted, unpitted, stuffed, and unstuffed. The most popular black and green olive varieties are:

manzanilla: Spanish green olive, available unpitted and/or stuffed, lightly lye-cured then packed in salt and lactic acid brine

picholine: French green olive, salt-brine cured, with subtle, lightly salty flavor, sometimes packed with citric acid as a preservative in the U.S.

kalamata: Greek black olive, harvested fully ripe, deep purple, almond-shaped, brine-cured, rich and fruity flavor

niçoise: French black olive, harvested fully ripe, small in size, rich, nutty, mellow flavor, high pit-to-meat ratio, often packed with herbs and stems intact

liguria: Italian black olive, salt-brine cured, with a vibrant flavor, sometimes packed with stems

ponentine: Italian black olive, salt-brine cured then packed in vinegar, mild in flavor

gaeta: Italian black olive, dry-salt cured, then rubbed with oil, wrinkled in appearance, mild flavor, often packed with rosemary and other herbs

lugano: Italian black olive, usually very salty, sometimes packed with olive leaves, popular at tastings

sevillano: Californian, salt-brine cured and preserved with lactic acid, very crisp