All About Olives

Inspired by conversations on the Food52 Hotline, we're sharing tips and tricks that make navigating all of our kitchens easier and more fun.

Today: Arbequina! Kalamata! Black from a can! Learn a little more about your favorite olive varieties.

Thanks to their accessibility, variety, and balls-to-the-wall, unabashed saltiness, olives make for a number-one pick in both the "party snack" and "dish brightener" categories.

Atop pizza, stirred into pasta, or even baked into a bread -- olives never fail us. Olives are our friends. So let's get to know them a bit better, shall we?

Here's a rundown of most of the types of olives you'll find in supermarkets, at restaurants, and in the darkest corners of your pantries.

Kalamata

This Greek import is smooth, purplish-black in color, and pleasantly meaty. Because of their distinct flavor, they're commonly called on to lend saltiness and punch to a variety of Mediterranean recipes, most commonly Greek salad. They cannot be picked when unripe, and are so delicate (and easily bruised) that they must be hand-picked. Then, they're cured in a salt brine -- the most common way to preserve olives -- and often sold already pitted. 

 

Arbequina

Arbequina olives grow mostly in Cataluña, Spain. These tiny, brownish-green olives are generally sold with their pits intact, and they have one of the highest concentrations of oil -- you'll see their name on many bottles of olive oil. Arbequina olive oil usually has a shorer shelf life than other varieties, so use it up!

 

Picholine

These large, firm, French olives are cured in a salt brine. They're big, crisp, and tart, which makes them perfect as a snack or a light hors d'oeuvre. They're often used to make oil, and they're also the most widely-available olive in Europe. Bon Appètit!

 

Black, Canned

Most canned black olives are picked when green and unripe, then soaked in lye so that they'll become edible (and black). Then, they're canned. Sometimes they are treated with chemicals used to turn them black. The result is an olive without much flavor or texture to speak of. They do, however, play an essential role in some pizzas, sandwiches, and salads.

 

Oil-Cured

These olives are cured, or soaked, in oil -- for months. This process removes any lingering bitterness in the olives, and means they don't need to be stored in any sort of brine. The most common variety is black Moroccan, which is cured with spices such as cumin and hot chiles, as well as citrus. They're also common in Moroccan tagines.

 

Castelvatrano

These are one of the most popular varieties.at your common olive bar. Mild, buttery, and almost sweet in flavor, they're harvested young, and cured in a salt brine, which contributes to their vibrant green color. Try spearing a few into your next martini.

What are your favorite olives? Let us know in the comments!

Photos by James Ransom