They are often packed in jars and soaked in liquid. Why do olives change color? They accummulate anthocyanin as they ripen. Repeating these two processes over and over until the lye has soaked through the pit of the olive turns it black.
Stock photo by RitaE What most people do not know is that the sourness and saltiness are the result of fermentation and curing. What is the difference between green and black olives?
The olive tree has been given the Latin name Olea europaea and is from the botanical family called Oleaceae. It is an evergreen that typically grows from ft m tall. The branches are fine and many, and the leathery leaves are spear-shaped and dark green on their tops and silver on their undersides. The trees bloom in the late spring and produce clusters of small, white flowers.
Olives grow erratically unless the trees are cultivated and irrigated and tend to either produce in alternate years or bear heavy crops and light ones alternately. Seedlings do not produce the best trees. Instead, seedlings are grafted to existing tree trunks or trees are grown from cuttings.
Olives are first seen on trees within eight years, but the trees must grow for years before they produce worthwhile crops, which they will do until they are about 80 years old. Once established, the trees are enduring and will live for several hundred years. Olives mature on the tree and can be harvested for green table olives when the fruit is immature or left on the tree to ripen.
The ripe olives are also harvested for processing as food but are left on the trees still longer if they are to be used for oil. Inside each olive, the pit contains one or two seeds; botanists call this kind of fruit with a seed-bearing stone a drupe; plums and peaches are other drupes.
Olives grow in subtropical climates in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Hundreds of varieties are grown; some produce only table olives, and others are cultivated for olive oil. Italy and Spain lead world production of olives; and Greece, Morocco, Tunisia, Portugal, Syria, and Turkey also consider the olive an important part of their economies. Europe produces three-fourths of the world's olives and also leads in consumption of both table olives and olive oil.
California has also become a respected producer, especially since the health benefits of the olive have been widely recognized. Cultivation of the olive is as old as the civilizations that encircle the Mediterranean Sea. The indications that people had learned the secrets to making olives edible date from the isle of Crete in about 3, B.
The Egyptians recorded their knowledge of the olive around 1, B. The Romans also mastered olive cultivation. Around B. Sardinia and the south of France became olive-growing regions, thanks to the Romans. Olive branches, leaves, and wood gained sacred connotations in both Testaments of the Bible, like the dove's return to Noah's Ark with an olive leaf in its beak. In the Olympic Games in Greece, the victors were awarded crowns of olive branches and leaves.
Oil figured in the anointing of athletes, rulers, and religious authorities and was used as lamp oil by most ancient civilizations on the Mediterranean rim. It was olive oil that burned on empty for eight days in the Hebrews' eternal flame during the miracle celebrated as Hanukkah. The olive's fragrant wood was reserved exclusively for altars to the gods, and all of these uses helped make the olive a symbol of peace.
In the s, Spanish missionaries brought the both the grape and the olive to California. In South America, Italian immigrants planted the olive, and they were also responsible for plantings in Australia and southern Africa.
The olive achieved new fame in California when, in , an inventive bartender added the fruit to a new concoction named the Martinez for the town he lived in; the olive-ornamented cocktail is known today as the martini.
The olives themselves are the most important raw material. Depending on the curing method, pure water, caustic soda or lye, and coarse salt are used. Flavorings can be added to the brine. Among the favorites are red pepper or a variety of Mediterranean herbs for black olives and lemon or hot green peppers or chilies for green olives. Fennel, wine vinegar, or garlic can be used to add interest to any olive, but the time required for the olives to take on these flavors can range from a week for whole chilies to several months for a more subtle taste like the herb fennel.
Pitted green olives can be stuffed to add color, flavor, and texture. I just ate a can of jumbo black olives. Hated all olives as a kid. I love blue cheese stuffed olives too. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Enjoy this article?
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