The olives

The olive, fruit symbol of the Mediterranean and protagonist of our tables, reveals its secrets ...

> The olive tree, the king of the Mediterranean

Needing sun and heat and not particularly fond of water, the olive tree has settled very easily in the southern regions of Europe, from Provence to Greece.

It was immediately cultivated for his oil, used both for food and for illumination, healing and religious ceremonies.

Today, the olive tree is grown mainly for food use: to produce oil and for its fruit, the "table olive.

> The table olive, a real work of refining

Most of the fruits, damaged and / or of modest size, are intended for the production of oil. The remaining olives, beautiful and fleshy, will undergo some transformations, treatments that will make them edible. This is because the natural olives are very bitter and therefore it is not possible to eat them.

Before arriving on our tables, therefore, the olives undergo different treatments: after having eliminated their natural bitterness (by soaking them in an alkaline liquid, or by rinsing them regularly for many days), they will be put in brine more or less long and then packaged (preserved in brine, cold or pasteurized).

> Different colors: a question of maturation

The difference between a "black olive and a" green olive? None, apart from the degree of maturity! Indeed, a "black olive is an" olive that has been harvested at maturity, unlike green olives, harvested earlier.

Consequently, the black olives are naturally richer in oil and, therefore, more caloric. Please note that 100 grams of black olives contain 360 calories, instead the same amount of green olives contains 123!

The treatment that these two types of olives undergo is not the same: it will take longer to remove the bitterness from the green olives, which will then be packaged in various ways (pasteurized, seasoned with various types of aromas or spices, etc.); the black olive will be left in brine for several months and then eaten, and its pronounced taste will make any attempt at seasoning useless.

> The tapenade

It is a real one mashed olives, flavored with anchovies and capers. Depending on the olives used, it will be green or black.