Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Daily Dilemma
Tonight for dinner I'm having some tasty french bread dipped in olive oil. Now olive oil is something I splurge on - I always get the extra virgin because it's extra delicious. As I'm eating though, I can't help wondering what kind of olives it's made from. Black olives? Green olives? Kalamata olives? Some blend of olives? I scoured the bottle for answers but found nothing. I even went so far as to read everything I could ever want to know and then some on Wikipedia but am still lacking answers. Why would the oil companies be hiding this information from me? Is the mafia behind it all. I have very nearly lost interest since I'm now full, but one day I'll get to the bottom of this, even if it means I have to go into the witness protection program.
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Black olives are olives which have been allowed to fully ripen on the tree before harvesting. They tend to have a different flavor from more immature green olives, and they can be cured in a variety of ways for different uses and flavor profiles. Like other products of the olive tree, black olives play an integral role in the cuisine of many Mediterranean nations, and they are popular in some other countries as well. Most grocery stores sell several forms of black olives.
All olives come from the olive tree, a Mediterranean tree which has been cultivated for thousands of years. The fruits can be pressed to produce olive oil, or cured to make olives. The wood has traditionally been used for some regional crafts, while the trees themselves are symbols of peace and goodwill. If well cared for, an olive tree can live for hundreds of years.
Unlike many fruits, an olive cannot be eaten right of the tree. Olives are naturally intensely bitter. Therefore, they must be cured in things like salt, water, oil, or lye. The fruits are also dry cured in some parts of the Mediterranean. The cure makes the olive palatable, adds a unique flavor and texture to the fruit, and often allows it to be stored for prolonged periods of time. Olives fall into two basic categories: green olives, which are picked before they are ripe, and black olives, which are riped fully before curing.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-black-olives.htm
So you're saying that there is only one kind of olive? The olive. And the only difference between olives is the harvesting and curing? Interesting.
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