A hearty dip that will have people hovering by the bowl, so place it somewhere out of traffic flow. Serve with tortilla chips to scoop it up with.
Agogio Olives are medium-sized olives grown in Umbria, Italy. They are used for both black table olives and for making oil from. For table olives, they are harvested when black. The olives don’t yield a lot of oil, but the oil is sweet and very highly regarded, especially locally.
Aleppo, in Syria, produces many types of prepared table olives, but is most known for its dry-cured, black, chewy olives. Aleppo Olives, though, can also be sold green and stuffed with red pepper. Aleppo is the second largest city in Syria (as of 2004.) In the ancient world, it was an important trading centre. Its…
Aleppo, in Syria, produces many types of prepared table olives, but is most known for its dry-cured, black, chewy olives. Aleppo Olives, though, can also be sold green and stuffed with red pepper. Aleppo is the second largest city in Syria (as of 2004.) In the ancient world, it was an important trading centre. Its…
The Alphonso Olive tree cultivar was developed in Chile. It is also grown in Argentina and Peru. Chilean black Alphonso Olives tend to be cured in red wine vinegar, which deepens their purple colour. Alphonso Olives from Argentina and Peru tend to be cured in brine and packed in vinegar or brine. They have a…
This asparagus salad is easy to make, but very sophisticated. It looks fantastic on the table or on a buffet table, particularly around Christmas time, too, as it resembles a wreath.
Atalanti olives are purplish-brownish to green table olives that are harvested as they start turning purple. They have a soft, meaty texture and a fruity taste with just a touch of bitterness. They ripen early in the season. They are cured in brine, then stored (sometimes in vinegar), and shipped. They are grown and produced in…
Black Gaeta are black olives made in Italy that can be either dry-cured or brine-cured.The dry-cured ones are wrinkly, shrivelled and chewy with a mildly sour and salty taste. They are packed in oil with herbs such as rosemary. The brine-cured ones are dark purple and plump. Either way, Black Gaeta Olives are popular in…
Californian Black Olives © Denzil Green California Black Olives, owing to the way they are processed, tend to taste quite bland compared to European ones. More than 90% of olives in California are made into Black Olives. These are the Black Olives that have given all the other Black Olives a “black” reputation in North…
Cellina di Nardò are medium-sized olives grown both for oil and for use as table olives. When grown for oil, they are harvested while still green and pressed. The oil has good body and a fresh smell. When harvested for table olives, they are allowed to ripen on the tree until black. They are grown…
Nice for a lunch, with a leafy green side salad.
Conservolea is a Greek cultivar of olive. The olive is round and firm. It is the most widely grown type of olive in Greece. Many Greek styles of prepared olives, such as Agrinion, Amfissas and Volos, are made from this olive. It is particularly used to make black olives from (though not Kalamata olives.)
The onions turn really sweet because they are cooked for so long, first in the frying pan and then again in the oven. Very nice with a salad with tomatoes in it.
Gigas are large, Greek table olives that are harvested when purple. Language Notes “Gigas” in Greek means gigantic.
Grossane Olives are large, round olives that are harvested when black. The flesh separates easily from the pit. They can be used to make a fragrant oil, but the oil has a short shelf life. They are used mostly for producing “Olives Noires de la Vallée des Baux de Provence.” They are grown in France…
Hondroelia are very large, oblong Greek olives, up to 5 cm (2 inches) long.The olives are slit, then brine cured for anywhere from several months up to a year, then packed in olive oil or in a combination of brine and olive oil. The olives are pink and brown coloured, or green dappled with brown….
The Itrana Olive tree is an olive tree cultivar grown in the Lazio (Latium) area of Italy.The tree needs another olive tree to pollinate with. It produces round, medium-sized olives that are used in making both table olives and oil. The olives have a good oil yield of 20 to 22%. The oil has a…
Kaliva Olives are black olives grown near Delphi. They have firm flesh and a strong flavour. They are usually sold pitted.
Lebanese Black Olives are small, dark-brown to black olives. They are cured in brine, then preserved in olive oil and packed in jars or tins. The jars will sometimes have a slice of lemon added. The olives have a grainy texture and a slightly bitter taste. They are used for a table olive, to be…
Liguria Olives are grown in Liguria, Italy (near the French border.) They are allowed to ripen on the tree until they are brown, purplish or black. They are cured in brine, sometimes with the stems left attached. Then they are packed in olive oil, citrus, fennel and garlic. The olives have shiny, tough skin and…
Lugano Olives are actually Swiss olives, though they are usually classified as Italian (a) because of the name and (b) no one can imagine olive trees growing in Switzerland. The town of Lugano is on the shore of Lake Lugano (aka Lake Ceresio) in the Italian speaking Ticino part of Switzerland, which is south of…
Moroccan Dry-Cured Olives are small black olives that are dry-cured in salt, then put in olive oil. The olives end up shrivelled, shiny and leathery, looking almost like very large raisins. They are very chewy, but the pit is easily removed from the flesh. The taste is spicy and smoky with just a touch of…
Niçoise Olives are not a variety of olives, but rather a style of prepared olives. The olives come from the same tree, “Cailletier”, as do the olives used to make Liguria Olives. The Cailletier trees are grown in France around Nice.The olives are small with a large pit and very little flesh. They are allowed…
Nyons Olives are made from Tanche Olives grown in Nyons, France. The olives are pricked on all sides then dry-cured, then brined for 6 months. They end up wrinkly, dark black and shiny, tasting mildly salty and bitter. They are packed in olive oil. Cooking Tips Good in cooking, particularly in Tapenade.
