Ingredient: Olives
Category: Herbs, Spices & Seasoning
Season: All
The Olive (Olea europaea) is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean region, from Syria and the maritime parts of Asia Minor and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.
It’s fruit, the olive , is of major agricultural importance in the Mediterranean region as the source of olive oil.
The fruit is a small drupe 1–2.5 cm long, thinner-fleshed and smaller in wild plants than in orchard cultivars .
Olives are harvested at the green stage or left to ripen to a rich purple colour (black olive).
Canned black olives may contain chemicals that turn them black artificially
Green olives and black olives are washed thoroughly in water to remove oleuropein, a bitter carbohydrate .
Sometimes they are also soaked in a solution of food grade sodium hydroxide in order to accelerate the process.
Green olives are allowed to ferment before being packed in a brine solution .
American black ("California") olives are not fermented , which is why they taste milder than green olives.
Olives are now cultivated in many regions of the world with Mediterranean climate, such as South Africa, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Mediterranean Basin, Israel, Palestinian Territories and California.
Considerable research has been accumulated supporting the health benefits of consuming olives, olive leaf and olive oil (see external links below for research results).
The olive tree provides leaves, fruit and oil . Olive leaves are used in medicinal teas.
Subspecies
There are at least five natural subspecies distributed over a wide range:
Europes (Olea europaea subsp. europaea)
from Eritrea and Ethiopia south throughout East Africa, also in Iran to China (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata)
Canaries (Olea europaea subsp. guanchica)
Morocco (Olea europaea subsp. maroccan)
Algeria, Sudan, Niger (Olea europaea subsp. laperrine)
Olives freshly picked from the tree contain phenolic compounds and a unique glycoside, oleuropein, which makes the fruit unpalatable for immediate consumption.
There are many ways of processing olives for table use. Traditional methods use the natural microflora on the fruit and procedures, which select for those that bring about fermentation of the fruit.
This fermentation leads to three important outcomes: the leaching out and breakdown of oleuropein and phenolic compounds; the creation of lactic acid, which is a natural preservative; and a complex of flavoursome fermentation products.
The result is a product, which will store with or without refrigeration.
The olives are edible within 2 weeks to a month , but can be left to cure for up to three months.
Green olives will usually be firmer in texture after curing than black olives.
Olives can be flavored by soaking them in various marinades , or removing the pit and stuffing them.
Popular flavourings are : herbs, spices, olive oil, feta, capsicum (pimento), chili, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic cloves, wine, vinegar, juniper berries, and anchovies.
Sometimes the olives are lightly cracked with a hammer or a stone to trigger fermentation. This method of curing adds a slightly bitter taste.
A must in every store cupboard, and although you can buy loose olives at deli counters (and it's good to buy small amounts to find which varieties you like), always have them tucked away in the larder in jars or tins as well.
That means you can be spontaneous whenever you want to use olives in cooking.
Two types to have available: Greek calamata olives, which are quite large, and the tiny purple-brown Provençal ones, which are good for garnishes.
Try to buy good-quality olives, and avoid the pitted ones, which are not the best. An olive pitter will make removing the stones fairly easy. |