Green Olives

Agrinion Olives

Agrinion Olives are a style of prepared olive made from Conservolia Olives. Conservolia trees are native to Agrinion (Agrinou) on the Ionian coast in Greece. The olives are quite large. They are harvested and sold anywhere from light, dull green to pinkish or dark purple. Whether green or black, they are cracked then cured in…

Al Koura Olives

Al Koura Olives are grown in Lebanon, in the Al Koura district which, along with the neighbouring Akkar region, produces 40% of Lebanon’s olives. Al Koura is known particularly for its olive groves and production. A yearly olive festival is held. The olives grown there are used for oil and for table olives, both black…

Alcaparrado Olives

This is a Spanish style of preserving and selling olives, rather than an actual “botanical” variety of olive. It’s a jar of green olives and capers mixed together. Sometimes the olives may be stuffed with pimiento as well. The olives aren’t necessarily always pitted, though of course they will be if they have been stuffed….

Alcaparrado Olives

Amfissa Olives

Amfissa Olives are a style of prepared olives made from Conservolea olives grown in the Amfissa valley at Delphi, in the central mainland of Greece. The Conservolea trees start bearing olives in 3 to 4 years. The olives can be harvested green or black. When black, they are actually a dark purple to a very…

Arauco Olives

Arauco Olives are dark green olives grown in Spain and in Argentina. They are very large olives harvested green, cured in brine, and usually flavoured with herbs such as rosemary. The trees were brought to Latin America by the Spanish at the time of the conquest. They are now the main olives grown in Argentina….

Arbequina Olives

Arbequina Olives are very small and oval. The trees are small but frost hardy. The trees can be planted very densely, but are hard to harvest with mechanical means because the small olives cling tightly to the branches. They can pollinate themselves. The olives mature in mid-November. The olives are used both for oil and…

Ascolane Olives

Ascolane Olives are grown on the olive tree called the “Ascolana Tenera”, which is native to the Marche area of Italy. The olives are very large, with an oil content of 16 to 18%. When pressed for oil, they produce a light oil. They are also used for green or black table olives. When used…

Green Atalanti Olives

Green Atalanti Olives are green Atalanti olives, harvested earlier than the more ripe black Atalanti olives. They are often marinated in red-wine vinegar, which gives them a tangy flavour and makes them a pale-ish grey colour. Cooking Tips They can be cooked with; they won’t shrink.

Halkidiki Olives

Halkidiki Olives are prepared table olives made in the Halkidiki Peninsula near Mount Athos, Northern Greece. Both green and black table olives are made. The green ones are cured in a salt brine. They end up firm, crunchy and tangy. They are sometimes sold in salt brine, sometimes in oil. When the olives are harvested…

Ionian Olives

Ionian Olives are table olives made on the west coast of Greece on the Ionian sea.They are large, bright green olives with a firm crunch. They have a mild taste, because no vinegar is used in the curing or preserving.

Kadesh Olives

Kadesh Olives are used to make green table olives. With an oil content of less than 3%, they are being marketed as a “low-fat olive.” History Notes Developed at the Volcani Research Centre in Israel.

Lebanese Green Olives

These are small, plump olives that are browny-green in colour. They are cured in brine along with herbs such as rosemary and thyme, then preserved in olive oil. The jars they are packed in will sometimes have a slice of preserved lemon added. They have a salty smell and taste, with a bit of bitterness….

Lucques Olives

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…

Megaritiki Olives

Megaritiki Olives are a small to medium-sized olive variety native to Greece. They are grown in Attica for green olives, black olives and oil. For green olives, the olives are harvested earlier, then cured in brine, then packed in either oil or brine. For black olives, the olives are let get very ripe, then they…

Moroccan Green Olives

Moroccan Green Olives are brine cured and packaged in brine and vinegar. Sometimes a slice of lemon is added. As their name would indicate, they are green.

Nocellara del Belice Olives

Nocellara del Belice Olives are large, plump olives that make both good table olives and good olive oil. When being used for oil, the olives are harvested early to get a light, fruity oil. For table olives, they are harvested when they reach a brownish-green. The tree is a good producer, but needs another pollinator….

Nocellara Messinese Olives

Nocellara Messinese Olives are grown in the north-east of Sicily, and in Calabria. The olives are ovoid-shaped, and weigh about 5 to 6g each. They have an oil content of around 26%, and used to make table oil. The olives ripen mid-September to mid-October. The tree can pollinate Carolea and Moresca olive trees. Some sources…

Paragon Olives

Paragon is the Australian name for Frantoio Olives. Australia had large amounts of olive trees planted in the mid-1800s. Interest in olives and olive oil didn’t really catch on until well over 100 years later, so the plantings were largely ignored and the trees allowed to go feral. In October 1998, samples of the olive…

Picholine Olives

Picholine Olives are the most widely available variety of olives in France. The tree generally needs another olive tree for good pollination. The olives are small to medium-sized, and pointed at one end. The pit is smooth, but the chewy, fruity flesh clings to it. The olives are grown for making both oil and green…

Picudo Olives

Picudo Olives are grown to make oil, green olives and black olives from. The olives are medium to large-sized with a pointed tip. They will ripen to full black. The oil is aromatic, almost a bit sweet, with no bitterness. The oil yield is about 20%. The oil has a medium-length shelf life. The olives…

Provençal Olives

Provençal Olives are not a botanical variety of olive, but rather Picholine Olives prepared in a certain way. Cured Picholine Olives are marinated in oil with herbs such as thyme and lavender, and spices and garlic. You can buy these black or green, pitted or unpitted.

Santa Caterina Olives

The Santa Caterina Olive tree is a strong, vigorous and consistent producer. The olives are very large, with a 17% oil yield. There are grooves on the surface of the pit inside. The olives are harvested green in September for table olives, or let ripen to black for pressing into oil. Grown in Tuscany, as…

Tailladées Olives

Tailladées Olives can be green or black (the black are actually quite purple with pink overtones.) They are very meaty olives with a sour taste made in Provence. Thin slashes are made into the olives to let brine penetrate them better while curing. Lemons are also added to the brine. The olives are shipped and…