The fruit of the olive tree (Olea europea) has provided humans with olives since pre-Egyptian antiquity, but production of the oil was only done in Greece, more specifically in Crete, centuries later. Olives were already cultivated in the Chalcolithic period (aka the copper ages) in what is now modern day Jordan. Most olives are turned into oil and only a small percentage of the fruit preserved and used as table snacks, tapenades or as essential taste and texture improving constituent for many culinary creations. The naturally bitter fruit is fermented or cured in lye or brine. After picking, olives are washed thoroughly

in water to remove the oleuropein, a very bitter carbohydrate, or alterntively soaked in a solution of sodium hydroxide to speed up the process. Olives are found in three basic colours: green, purple and black – the colour merely indicating the time of picking.  There is no such thing as a green olive or a black olive – it is always the same olive picked at different times during the ripening process.  Green olives are harvested during the European autumn, the black a few months later when they are ripe and the purple are harvested in between.  The riper the olives are, the more oil there is to be had.

Green olives have a bitter, sharp taste despite the fact that they are often “cracked” first to induce a gentler taste, the blacks are fruity yet mellow. They are rarely packed in anything more complex than oil or brine.  American black olives are not fermented and have a mild flavour. There is a huge variety of olives and different countries produce different olives. In the next few weeks I will continue to elaborate and focus on the leading countries ending with an a comparison and discussion on who does a better job, if that is indeed the case.   The better known olives are the ones that are easily obtainable.  Amongst the favourite olives are the French nicoise, cailletier, picholine, lucques and the nyon which is always sold as a black and almost always dry cured in salt. In Italy the Gaeta is found, a mild olive that is all too often flavoured,  but when left alone it’s exquisite and the taste of the olive triumphs.  The Moroccan oil-cured olive is a relatively new addition to the commerical market but has been around for centuries. The Spanish manzanilla is an olive as well as a dry sherry.  Both olive and sherry are unforgettable and the two, together simply delicious!  The Greek kalamata is excellent when made by the Greeks but destroyed in the commercial market.

Then there is the stuffed olive – the epitome of horror to an olive lover.  Not satisfied with stuffing red bits of pimiento into the thing, commercial manufacturers now stuff anchovies, lemon, garlic, whole almonds and bits of fish into the olives and they are best avoided. Olives are rich in fiber, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins (A, B, C, D and E) as well as the minerals boron, calcium, iron, zinc etc as well as the  all important polyphenols and flavonoids that have anti-inflammatory properties.  To all women suffering from the effects of menopause – remember that the vitamin E in the olive helps relieve those hot flushes.

BASIC TAPENADE

Ingredients

• 500 g pitted black and green olives  - no spicing, pickling etc
• 75 grams capers, drained and rinsed
• 4 anchovy fillets, drained, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 good teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves finely chopped, stalk in the bin
• 3 good tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 tablespoon young balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cognac or brandy
• 200 g good quality extra-virgin olive oil

Method

• Put the whole lot in the food processor and pulse to combine then proceed until mixture is coarsely pureed or to your taste.
• Check and correct seasoning and voila!