Lucques Olives are grown in France primarily for use as green table olives. They are “freestone” olives: the flesh doesn’t cling to the pit.
The olives have a long, slightly curved shape. Cured in brine, they are crisp with good, full flavour.
The olives can also be used to produce a good oil, but the oil is very hard to extract from them.
Harvesting starts mid-August for green olives; end of October for black olives.
Cooking Tips
The olives are meant for eating out of hand, as opposed to cooking with.
History Notes
The olives originated in Lucca, which is in Tuscany, Italy (Lucca is called “Lucques” in French). The olives are now, however, grown only in France.
