Olives

Table olives are sold in shades of green, purple, black, and even red. The green ones are harvested unripe; purple or black olives have been picked when ripe. Raw, uncured olives right off the tree are not pleasant to eat — a bitter compound called oleuropein must be mitigated with a salt or water brine before consumption. All table olives are essentially pickles.

Pitted vs. Unpitted: Olives with pits tend to have a more pleasing, firmer texture and better flavor. Go unpitted when you can.

Canned Black Olives: The shiny black olives in cans on supermarket shelves are actually unripe green olives that have been turned black with an alkaline treatment — not the same as naturally ripened black olives.

Olive Oil: Look for a bottle with a production date and buy recently bottled oil. Choose dark glass or cans, since light degrades oil quality. "Extra virgin" means highest quality — low acidity, free from additives and sensory defects. Be skeptical of labels saying "pure," "natural," "light," or "made in Italy" — these terms mean little legally. California olive oils or oils purchased directly from international producers tend to be more reliable.

Olive oil has a limited shelf life and should be consumed within a year of production, after which it will go rancid. Store in a cool place out of direct sunlight.

Fresh, cured olives will keep in the refrigerator for at least a few weeks. Canned and bottled olives can last years if kept sealed, cool, and away from direct sunlight.

Olive Oil: It's hard to think about olives without thinking about olive oil — 90% of the harvest gets turned into it. Use it to cook, drizzle over seasonal vegetables, or dress salads. It's also excellent in baked goods like classic Italian olive oil cake.

Table Olives: A perfect snack or appetizer, pairing beautifully with cheeses and wines. Many come stuffed with lemon, almonds, cheese, or garlic, or are seasoned with herbs and chili.

Tapenade: A classic Provençal condiment — a puree of black olives, capers, anchovies, herbs, lemon, mustard, and even a splash of cognac. Spread on bread or serve alongside grilled meats and vegetables.

Pitting Tip: Place the flat side of a chef's knife on the olive and give it a firm smash — the pit slides right out.

Olive Oil Production: It takes about eleven pounds of fruit to make one liter of olive oil. Ripe fruit is ground into a paste, pressed, and then centrifuged to separate the oil from the pomace liquid.

Olives are one of the original preserved foods. Humans have been curing, brining, fermenting, and salting them for millennia. Modern canning and bottling extends their shelf life for years. If you have access to fresh olives, you can cure your own at home using a salt brine — raw olives need several weeks or months of curing before they become palatable.

Olives are an excellent source of iron, providing 35% of the recommended daily value per 100 grams. They are also high in fat (primarily heart-healthy monounsaturated fat) and sodium, and are a good source of Vitamin E. Olive oil, rich in oleic acid, is a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet and associated with numerous cardiovascular benefits.

The olive is technically a drupe — a type of fruit containing a pit or stone surrounded by flesh, like a cherry or peach.

An olive tree can take up to fifteen years to bear fruit — yet one specimen on Crete has been producing fruit for an estimated 2,000–3,000 years.

About 90% of the world's olive harvest is turned into oil, with most table olives consumed in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries.

Water Use: It takes 363 gallons of water to produce a pound of olives, and 1,902 gallons for a half-liter bottle of olive oil. In Spain's Andalusia region, irrigation has placed significant strain on groundwater. Better water management and use of olive byproducts for fertilization are key sustainability priorities.

GMOs: Olives have mostly escaped genetic modification. Researchers in Italy experimented with fungal- and bacterial-resistant varieties, but laws banning GMO field research halted further development.

Seasonality: In the US, olives are in season in autumn, with harvest from September into November.

Geography: Spain and Italy are the world's top producers. In the US, California produces 99% of all domestic olives. The olive tree thrives in hot, sunny Mediterranean climates, tolerating drought well but dying back in hard freezes.