People with discriminating taste look for quality gourmet olives which
they use as appetizers, ingredients for dishes, salads and spreads.
These fruits may be green, black or aubergine in colour and are sold
whole, pitted and stuffed. What makes these fruits sought after are
their high nutritional values, fine taste, and unique appearance.
Origins
Hundreds of olive varieties exist worldwide, most of which are of
Mediterranean origins. These fruits were mainly produced in Italy,
Spain, and Greece but are now widely grown in some parts of Australia
and the US, areas that are blessed with warm summers.
Gourmet varieties
- Brined green olives
These are brined immediately after harvesting without going through
several water rinses. The brining process for this type will take
longer than usual in order to remove the bitter principles.
- Cracked green olives in brine
These are pitted green fruits that are split before brining to
immediately release the bitter principles. Splitting results in a
faster brining process and the fruits are often stuffed with garlic,
lemon, oregano and other spices for added flavour.
- Black olives in brine
Production
- Fruit selection
Only the best looking and mature fruits are hand picked for producing
gourmet olives. These must not be damaged and not show signs of
bruising. The fruit is lightly squeezed to see if it produces some
fluid at the stem tip, a sign of maturity. Some producers subject the
fruits to a second and more determinative test, by making a cut around
the fruit and twisting it in half to release the stone. If a free
stone effect occurs, the fruit is considered mature.
- Water treatment
The selected fruits are immediately washed to remove dirt and foreign
particles. After cleaning, these are subjected to a cool water
treatment which helps remove some of the bitter principles. Depending
on the cleaning methods used by the producer, the water may be changed
a few times before the fruits undergo brining.
- Brining process
Unlike other members of the fruit family, olives cannot be eaten right
after picking and must be brined for months to remove the bitter taste
and tenderise the flesh. Immediately after cleaning the fruits, these
are submerged in a container filled with a salt water solution known
as brine. The brining process is monitored for months and the solution
changed every two weeks or more frequently to prevent bacteria
formation and maintain acidity levels.
The same brining technique used for water-treated fruits are applied
to black olives which reduces the intensity of its black colour to a
pinkish or yellow hue.
Spices and other flavours may be added to the brining solution of
gourmet olives, but only after the fermentation or curing period to
prevent bacteria from forming and spoiling the fruits.