Olives are one of the world’s most widely enjoyed fruits. This unique fruit is often found on pizzas and salads, and they’re used in a variety of different Italian pasta dishes. They are grown and used in many different countries such as China, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Portugal.
Olives are a very important agricultural fruit in the Mediterranean region. Olive oil is used all around the world and it is a core ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine. This tasty fruit is one of the most important resources in the food industry and they can be used in different ways. This article is all about the history, science and the many ways you can use olives in your daily life.
The History of Olives and Curation
The olive was first domesticated in the Eastern Mediterranean between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago. The olive tree is thought to have been brought to the United States by Spanish missionaries sometime during the 1500-1700s.
Olives are very delicious, but most people don’t know olives have to be curated to reduce their bitterness before they’re eaten. They must be processed in order for them to achieve their desired taste.
Different regions that cultivate olives all have their own method when it comes to processing the olives. Olives can be picked when they are ripe or unripe. The color of an olive is not always an indicator of its ripeness. They can start off with a greenish color and remain green when fully ripe, while others start off green and turn black at maturity.
Processing Methods for Olives
Water curing, brine curing (using a salt solution), lye restoring and salt packing are the most widely recognized treatment form for olives, and each one of these processes can influence the shading and composition of an olive.
The restoring procedure may take from a couple of days, with lye, up to a couple of months with salt packing or brine methods.
Traditional strategies for curing olives (except for Californian and salt-cured olives) utilize bacteria and yeast in a fermentation process. This method uses the common microflora on the natural olive product to prompt fermentation. The process drains out and breaks down oleuropein, a bitter compound along with other unpalatable phenolic mixes.
The fermentation process also creates favorable metabolites from bacteria and yeast such as lactic acid. Curing dominated by lactic acid bacteria allows the olives to be stored without refrigeration because the acid is a natural preservative. Olives cured in a yeast dominated environment, deliver an alternate suite of metabolites which give poorer preservation, so these olives require correction with an acid.
Olives in the United States typically come from California and are normally green in shade. They are picked in an unripe state, then lye-restored in a mixture of lye and water over several days. The olives are then presented to air as a method for activating oxidation causing a change to a dark external shading.
Storage of Olives
Olives are usually kept refrigerated in jars to keep them fresh. Salt-cured olives are stored in crocks so they last longer. Canning is a very popular commercial way to store olives; this process preserves its natural color but removes some of the nutritional value of the olive.
Olive Facts:
- Olive trees thrive in poor soil and drought. The olive tree has a very long root that can reach damp soil in hot, dry weather.
- Olives can be black, brown, pink, purple, and green.
- The olive tree is evergreen and has an average lifespan of 300-500 years.
- The healthy fats in olives are used to produce extra virgin olive oil that is used every day around the world.
Table Olives
Table olives are classified based on the amount of ripening that has occurred before picking:
- Green olives are picked when they have acquired full size, yet before the ripening cycle has started; they are normally shades of green to yellow.
- Semi-ripe olives are picked at the start of the maturing cycle when the shading has started to change from green to multicolor shades of red to dark colored. Just the skin is hued, not the tissue of the organic product.
- Dark olives (ripe olives) are picked at full development when completely ready. They are found in various dark shades from purple to black.
Harvesting Olives
Olives are harvested in the autumn and winter. Green olives, for example, are picked from the finish of September until about the middle of November in the Northern Hemisphere. Light olives are picked from mid-October to the end of November, and black olives are gathered from the middle of November to the end of January or early February.
Most olives today are gathered by shaking the limbs or the entire tree. Utilizing olives discovered lying on the ground can result in a low-quality oil. Another technique includes “draining” the olives into a sack tied around the harvesters waist. A high-quality oil is produced with this strategy. A third technique utilizes a gadget called an oil-net that folds over the tree trunk and opens into an umbrella-like catcher from which laborers gather the natural product. Another strategy utilizes an electric tool, known as the Oliviera. The Oliviera has tongs that spin around, expelling olives from the tree.
Table olive assortments are very difficult to harvest because farmers must be very careful not to harm this natural product. Harvesting by hand is sometimes the preferred method to maintain the quality of the olives.
What are the Health Benefits of Olives?
Making olives a regular part of your diet provides many nutritional benefits. The fatty acids found in olives and olive oil have shown to improve high blood pressure and help regulate cholesterol levels. The fat content in olives is very unique and has even shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that the plant compounds in olives can prevent bone loss within animals which is very promising for human fracture rates.
Olives are also low in carbohydrates with most of the carbs coming from fiber. Olives are ideal for low-carbohydrate or ketogenic (keto) diets as they are high in quality fats and low in carbs. They are also a popular choice for vegetarians and vegans.
There aren’t too many high-fat foods that offer so many beneficial nutritional benefits to human health.
Olives are delicious fruits that are used in a variety of tasty dishes around the world. They are great for your diet and offer a variety of nutritional benefits that can help you live longer. Olives are high in healthy fats, low on carbs, and they can health improve your overall health.
Ways to Eat Olives
There are many uses for olives and ways to enjoy them:
- On their own as a snack
- Added to any salad. A popular salad featuring olives is the Greek salad
- As a pizza topping
- In a classic Italian Pasta sauce such as Puttanesca
- Enjoyed as a dip when processed into an olive tapenade
- As part of an antipasto or cheese board
- In a martini cocktail – typically a green, Spanish olive is used
- Served with a selection of cheese and a glass of full-bodied red wine
Resources
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=46
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/olives
Olives…love ’em or hate ’em? Tell us below in the comments!!
If you love them, tell us your favorite ways to eat olives…
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