They are mistakenly referred to as berries, fruits, vegetables. But these are stone fruits that have something in common with plums, cherries and apricots. Only in taste they are unsweetened, and they are not eaten in an unprocessed form, because they are very bitter. Thanks to technological processing, canned olives are obtained, which can be beneficial or harmful to the body.

What is the difference between green and black olives

The birthplace of the biblical olive tree is considered to be the southeastern Mediterranean. Subsequently, it began to be cultivated on other continents and in countries with a warm climate. Black stone fruits are usually called "olives", and this term is used exclusively by residents of the post-Soviet space. The population of the whole world appeals with the term "olives", which are green or black. That is, a clarification is added to the word "olives" - a color indicating the degree of maturity of stone fruits. By the way, they all belong to medium acid products.

What are olives

Green (unripe) drupes contain less oil and have a denser texture. Traditional olives (ripe fruits of the olive tree) are preserved infrequently, and if this happens, then the stone is not removed. Because ripe drupes are easily deformed, which leads to damage to their presentation. Therefore, the bones are left. Black olives are mostly green (unripe) olives that undergo coloring during the preservation process. There is an opinion that the unripe fruits of the olive tree are subjected to serious chemical attack, but manufacturers in every possible way refute this fact.

Important! Olives that have matured on their own do not necessarily have a rich black color, since a lot depends on the variety. Therefore, ripe fruits can be red, purple, brown and all their shades.

Varieties

1. Universal. The fruits are suitable for canning, oil production and the preparation of delicacies.
2. Canteens. Varieties intended for canning, pickling and other types of technological processing.
3. oilseeds. They are most suitable for pressing oil, because they contain an increased percentage of fat.

Dimensions

The fruits of the olive tree are necessarily sized. For example, olives are considered small if their number in 1 kg varies between 261-380 pieces. The number of "royal" olives in 1 kg is 70-110 pieces, they are usually called especially large. An intermediate position is occupied by medium olives (161-260 pcs/1 kg) and large ones (11-160 pcs/1 kg).

Products

About 90% of all grown olives are used for the preparation of olive oil, and only 10% - "leaves" for processing. Eating a drupe freshly picked from a branch is not the best solution, because fresh olives are bitter and tasteless.

From "Greek berries" you can cook a real delicacy - dried olives, which are produced by farmers and not very large enterprises. The result is the most useful product of olive processing, which is not cheap due to the complex technology. Several types of canned olives are available to the mass consumer:

• whole, with bone;
• boneless;
• cut;
• stuffed (salmon, lemon and other fillers);
• crushed.

The light yellow and green color of canned olives means that they were harvested just before ripening. The black color indicates that the fruits are either ripe or have undergone oxidation. Red, white and brown olives are rare, and their color largely depends not only on the variety, but also on the season. Harvested several times a year, including in winter.

Chemical composition

The tables show indicators typical for dried and canned olives.

Vitamin and mineral composition

Beneficial features

The component composition of olives can be called truly valuable, which is why even canned "Greek berries" are included in the diet of people suffering from diseases of the internal organs.

Benefits for the cardiovascular system

Due to the presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids and a large amount of vitamins, olives:

1. They have the ability to lower blood pressure.
2. They have a beneficial effect on blood vessels, increasing their elasticity and reducing permeability.
3. They have an anti-sclerotic effect.
4. Prevent thrombosis.
5. Do not allow the development of coronary heart disease.

The benefits of olives for the digestive system

1. Contribute to the restoration of intestinal microflora.
2. Do not allow the appearance and development of hemorrhoids.
3. Improve intestinal peristalsis.
4. They have a choleretic effect.
5. Removes toxins from the intestines.
6. Contribute to the restoration of liver cells.
7. Prevent gallstone disease.
8. Stimulate the production of gastric juice.

Moderate consumption of canned (and preferably dried) olives is indicated for a number of diseases, including:

• urolithiasis disease;
• gout;
• diabetes;
• Alzheimer's disease;
• stroke;
• arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis;
• oncological diseases.

What are the benefits of olives for women

As part of the "Greek berries" a lot of selenium, vitamin E and C, which means that they tend to slow down the aging process. Calcium and phosphorus are minerals "responsible" for the condition of hair, teeth and nails.

Since the content of these substances in olives is increased, we can safely say that “Greek berries” guard health and beauty. But most importantly: the presence of a large number of PUFAs has a positive effect on the functioning of the organs of female reproduction.

Scientists have conducted a number of studies, during which it turned out that women who regularly consume olives are less likely to suffer from gynecological diseases and have an increased chance of conceiving, bearing and giving birth to a healthy child.

Olives during pregnancy and breastfeeding

The body of a woman who is preparing to become a mother (or has already become one) needs a lot of useful substances. And in olives, which have a valuable chemical and biological composition, there are a lot of them. But the problem is that canned olives are not very useful, because they have undergone multiple technological treatments and inevitably contain preservatives and salt in their composition. Therefore, it is impossible to abuse such a product.

But there is an alternative solution, which involves eating in moderation dried olives (they are made from black fruits that have ripened on their own). The recommended daily dose is 5-10 pieces. According to some doctors, it is better to refuse the use of such delicacies altogether, and you can replace them with olive oil, which has a beneficial effect on the cervix and placenta.

Olives for weight loss

Dieters sometimes crave olives. This desire is explained simply: in the process of losing weight, the body loses sodium salts, and there are a lot of them in olives. You should not eat canned, pickled and salted fruits, and it is better to give preference to dried fruits, which should be eaten no more than 4 pieces per day. Dried olives are high in calories, so their use is limited. Once in the digestive tract, they work in several directions at once:

• normalize stool;
• increase the elasticity of the skin;
• saturate the body with PUFAs, vitamins and macro- and microelements;
• improve mood;
• enrich the composition of the blood;
• bind and remove toxins.

Olive oil in beauty treatments

Often women use olive oil for cosmetic procedures to maintain skin elasticity, eliminating brittle nails and hair.

Olive mask with cottage cheese for dry skin

• olive oil 10 gr.
• cottage cheese low-fat 5g.
• one egg yolk.

Mix the ingredients and apply the mixture for 30 minutes. Then rinse off with warm water.

Face mask for aging skin

In a slightly warmed olive oil, moisten the braid of the bandage and apply for 20 minutes on the face before going to bed.

Mask for healing hair

Mix 3 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and 100g of coconut milk. Apply the resulting mixture over the entire surface of the head with massaging movements. For 15-20 minutes we put on a plastic bag or a special hat. Wash off with shampoo.

Bath for strengthening nails

We heat the olive oil in a water bath to a comfortable temperature for the skin (40 ° C is enough). We lower the tips of the fingers or hands into the dishes and hold for 15-20 minutes. Can be repeated 2-3 times a week.

Contraindications and restrictions

All canned food contains a salty marinade. Each "berry" is generously impregnated with it. Oxidized fruits contain harmful compounds, including iron gluconate (E 579). This clearly indicates that canned olives should not be consumed daily, as this is an allergenic product replete with preservatives. It is not recommended for use:

• pregnant women and nursing mothers;
• children;
• persons suffering from pancreatitis and in acute form;
• persons with problems with the kidneys or gallbladder (stones);
• patients with gastritis with high acidity.

How to choose the right canned olives

Preference should be given to canned olives in vacuum packaging or a glass jar. The label must necessarily indicate the weight “clean” and with brine, and the closer the first indicator is to the second, the better.

The most popular variety of "poor man's fruit" in Greece is conservolia. These olives have a thin and elastic skin and a rich color range depending on the degree of ripeness. The second place rightfully belongs to the Spanish Manzanille, which is salted, pickled, dried and dried.

Calamon- a variety highly valued by gourmets from all over the world, and it got its name from the city of Kalamata, famous for its vast plantations.

Chalkidiki- a variety of olives that are always picked only green, and it is they who are most often stuffed.

Perhaps, Frumboilia- this is the only variety of olives that can be eaten fresh, because in the process of ripening they lose their bitterness. But most often, they are salted and cured, and the result is "dried fruit" that resembles prunes or giant raisins.

Dish recipes

To taste gourmet dishes, you do not need to travel to distant lands or go to a restaurant, because you can cook them yourself.

Greek salad

For 2 servings you will need:

• 1 small cucumber;
• half a bell pepper;
• 1 tomato;
• feta cheese - 50 g;
• half an onion;
• olives - 10 pcs.;
• olive oil;
• Italian seasoning, pepper, salt.

Cut the ingredients, season with oil, add spices and salt to taste.

Moroccan chicken with olives

Would need:

• chicken breast - 2 pcs.;
• 1 large onion;
• 10 olives (green) pitted;
• cilantro;
• olive oil;
• dry white wine;
• garlic;
• turmeric;
• pepper;
• salt;
• chicken bouillon.

Cooking:

Rub chicken breasts with salt and pepper and fry in hot oil.
Cut the onion into rings, fry with the addition of chopped garlic. After 10 minutes, pour in the wine and broth.
Add olives cut in half.
Put the fried breasts in the resulting sauce and simmer for 7-10 minutes.
Serve with cilantro sprigs.

QUESTION ANSWER:

How to remove bitterness from olives? This defect can only be eliminated by soaking the fruit in brine, which can take several weeks or even months. But manufacturers reduce the time because they introduce sodium hydroxide into the soak solution. If the label indicates the additive E 524, then it is better to refuse the purchase.
How many olives / olives should be eaten per day? Children "Greek berries" should not eat. An adult healthy person can consume 5-7 pieces of dried olives daily, and canned ones - only on holidays!
Can you eat olives with pits? It is possible, because there are more benefits from seeds than from fruits, but they are poorly digested and you can choke on them. Although, the last problem is solved with the help of a coffee grinder.
Why do fruits from the same tree come in different colors? Because some have already matured, while others have not yet. Unripe fruits are green to amber-yellow in color, semi-ripe fruits are pink to chestnut, and fully ripe fruits are red to blue-black.
Why are freshly picked olives not eaten? Because they are bitter and have pronounced astringent properties.

If you find a typo or inaccuracy, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

The benefits of olives - in vitamins and trace elements

Olives are harvested from trees in varying degrees of ripeness. Unripe fruits have a greenish (olive) color. Ripe - dark in color, shades vary from light brown to purple.

The fruits that are called olives in our country are not ripe. The black color comes from the industrial processing of green olives. Ordinary green fruits cannot be eaten because of bitterness. They are soaked and kept in brine for a long time. The benefits of olives prepared in this way are beyond doubt.

What are the benefits of olives?

Olives regulate bowel function. They contain a lot of antioxidants - substances that prevent the development of cancer.

Even the bones of olives are consumed, although the benefits of them have not been confirmed by nutritionists.

On an industrial scale, olives are not kept in brine. Bitterness is removed by placing the fruits in a solution of caustic soda (alkali). They pass oxygen through it (oxidize), achieving a black color. Color is fixed with ferrous gluconate.

It turns out a cocktail of chemicals that penetrates into the finished product. Canned olives, the benefits and harms of which do not have an unambiguous assessment, are best chosen with seeds. In this case, the likelihood of buying natural fruits increases.

The fact is that natural olives are softer than oxidized ones. It is difficult to remove bones from them on an industrial scale.

Green olives are not chemically processed. They are kept in barrels of brine, and then packaged in jars.

Olives are stuffed with anchovies, capers, gherkins, cheese and other fillings. This gives the fruits an original taste. In the Mediterranean countries, olives are a favorite national product. The secrets of their preparation are inherited and carefully preserved.

Olives are the fruit of an evergreen olive tree that grows in subtropical climates. The olive tree is hardy, drought tolerant and bears fruit once every two years.

Composition of olives

Olive fruits contain 56% fats and oils, 23% water, 9% fiber and 6% protein. Olives are the leaders in the content of vitamins:

• A - 0.12 mg;
• B1 - 0.02 mg;
• B2 - 0.01 mg;
• B4 - 6.6 mg;
• E - 2.8 mg;
• PP - 0.24 mg.

The mineral composition of the pulp of olives is represented by macro- and microelements:

• sodium - 750 mg;
• calcium - 74 mg;
• potassium - 36 mg;
• magnesium - 8 mg;
• phosphorus - 4 mg;
• copper - 0.23 mg;
• iron - 3.3 mg;
• zinc - 0.22 mg;
• selenium - 0.01 mg.

But vitamins and minerals are not the most valuable. Significance in olives for humans are fats:

• omega 3 - 0.04 gr;
• omega 6 - 0.55 gr;
• monounsaturated fatty acids - 5.1 g;
• polyunsaturated fatty acids - 0.59 g;
• saturated fatty acids - 0.9 gr.

Fresh fruits are not consumed, as they are bitter. The bitterness of the fruits is given by a natural polyphenol - oleoropain. To get rid of an unpleasant bitter taste, olives are soaked in salt water or treated with alkali - caustic soda - and then washed. The second method is faster and easier, so all manufacturers use it.

Depending on the variety, olives may have other colors: pink, yellow, light green and purple. On the shelves next to the olives are always olives.

Olives differ from olives in color: olives are green, olives are purple. Olives and olives are the fruits of the same tree, but they are harvested at different times: green olives are unripe fruits, black ones are ripe.

Olives take more time and expense to ripen, which is why they cost more. Here, chemists managed to outwit nature with the help of oxygen and iron gluconate - E579. Oxygen is passed through the brine with green fruits and the olives become olives. Ferrous gluconate is added to olives to prevent them from turning green. Such olives look blue-black with an unnatural glossy sheen without scratches or dents.

The benefits of black olives for blood vessels are superior to the benefits of green olives, as they contain a lot of healthy fats.

General

The benefits of olives for the body is that they enhance the secretion of digestive juices and enzymes. During the feast, the best snack is not sausages and smoked meats, but olives, which will help in the digestion of gastronomic delights. Olives have a gentle effect on the gastrointestinal tract, as with the stimulation of digestion they heal microcracks in the stomach and intestines.

Have a choleretic effect

Due to a sedentary lifestyle, an abundance of fatty and sweet foods, the attack of liver toxins makes it more difficult to produce bile. Stones form in the gallbladder, little bile enters the stomach. As a result, food is absorbed worse, diarrhea, bloating, and pain occur. To help the liver, you need to include olives in the diet, as they have a choleretic effect and restore liver cells.

Kill cancer cells

A sensation in 2015 was the study of the substance oleocantanol, which is found in olives. In the journal Molecular and Cellular Oncology, scientists from Rutgers University in New Jersey (USA) and Hunter College in New York (USA) wrote that oleocantanol kills the cancer cell. Oleocantanol causes the tumor cell to die from its toxins in 30-60 minutes and does not affect healthy cells, but “lulls” them for 24 hours. The study of oleocantanol is not completed and has prospects.

Remove inflammation

Inflammation is the body's defense mechanism against damage or irritants. The inflammatory process triggers prostaglandins, which are found in all organs and tissues. Oleocantanol blocks the synthesis of prostaglandin and prevents inflammation. Olives are an indispensable food against arthritis, arthrosis, and osteochondrosis.

For women

Olives can replace vitamins for hair, nails, skin, as they contain all the ingredients for youth and beauty. Fruits are among the record-breaking products for the content of vitamin A and E, which are dissolved in fats.

Rejuvenate

Vitamin E prolongs the life of cells, stimulates the production of collagen, without which the skin loses its elasticity. Without tocopherol, vitamin A, which is no less important for the epithelium, cannot be absorbed. responsible for the elasticity and nutrition of the skin.

Pickled olives for the skin will benefit due to fatty acids: oleic and linoleic. Linoleic acid protects the skin from dehydration and fills microcracks, which means it prevents bacteria from penetrating through the damage. Oleic acid penetrates deeper than linoleic acid and increases the skin's permeability to biologically active components. Olive oil can replace or complement creams.

Increase the chances of conception

The olive is the fruit of an olive tree or evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean and Central Asia. It is an oval drupe of a green, black or purple hue up to 3-4 cm in length. What are olives made of? The benefits and harms to the body were appreciated by the ancient Greeks, who cultivated the plant.

Many people wonder if olives and olives belong to different cultures or are they the same thing? Olives are black fruits of the olive tree, which are in biological maturity, and olives are in technical maturity. Such a division is characteristic only of Russia.

Olives and black olives are fruits of the same olive tree or bush.

Another interesting question: are olives a berry or a fruit? Experts did not come to the same opinion. Growing like a berry, having a stone inside like a fruit, the olive is used as a vegetable.

Olives: chemical composition

The calorie content of olives per 100 grams is 112 kcal. The calorie content of canned pitted olives is somewhat different, it is 145 kcal. High-calorie or not olives? Their energy value is even higher, 165 kcal.

Nutritional value of 100 g of olives (bju):

1. proteins 1 g;
2. fats 11 g;
3. carbohydrates 5 g.

The composition of canned olives is similar, may vary depending on the stuffing. How many carbohydrates are in them? 4 g, the vast majority of them are fiber.

What are the fruits of the olive tree rich in? They contain vitamins B, A (retinol), C, E, amino acids, phytosterols, oleic acid. The mineral composition includes sodium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, copper, chlorine, iodine.

Olives: useful properties and contraindications

Why are olives unique? The benefits and harm to the body that they can cause have been known since the time of the ancient Greeks, who appreciated this tree.

The beneficial properties of olives are high due to the content of monounsaturated fats in them, which can reduce the presence of cholesterol, have a positive effect on blood vessels, the heart, and the circulatory system. The product has a therapeutic effect in atherosclerosis, thrombosis.

Olives strengthen the musculoskeletal system, are effective for osteochondrosis, gout, arthritis.

What are the benefits of olives for the digestive tract? Possessing a choleretic and enveloping property, the oils contained in them lower the pH of gastric juice and normalize bowel function. The use of olives for gastritis has proven its healing effect.

Do olive fruits weaken or strengthen? They have a mild laxative effect.

Olive oil and fruits have a pronounced preventive and curative effect on cancerous diseases.

Goat milk also helps in the fight against cancer

Skin lesions, incl. and burns, effectively lubricate with olive oil for speedy healing.

Studies by doctors have shown that regular consumption of oil reduces the likelihood of diabetes by 20%. The low glycemic index (only 15 units) makes it possible to claim their help in stabilizing sugar levels when consumed regularly in diabetes.

Olives for weight loss

People who adhere to proper nutrition and count calories are often worried about questions: is it possible to eat olives on a diet? Is it possible to eat olives while losing weight?

Of course you can. Thanks to the content of healthy fats, eating just a few berries will dull the feeling of hunger for a long time, filling the body with energy, useful substances and vitamins. However, you should not abuse the fruits: in this case, they will contribute to weight gain.

Popular about olives and olives, see the video:

Olives: benefits for men

The unique chemical composition is also important for men's health, primarily for potency. In the second - as a salvation from a hangover.

Olives: benefits for women

How useful are these small fruits for women? Their greatest contribution is in cosmetology, because olive oil is a common additive in all skin care products. Its benefits for hair, nails, skin are invaluable. This oil is used both internally and externally.

Can pregnant women eat canned olives? Olives during pregnancy are not contraindicated, because they do not contain dangerous or harmful substances. In addition, the oil, when applied externally and consumed internally during this period, will prevent the appearance of stretch marks on the abdomen, brittleness and cross-section of hair and nails.

The benefits of canned olives for women is that they prevent the occurrence of breast cancer.

Can this product be used while breastfeeding? The female body in this critical period is prone to a deficiency of many minerals, vitamins, acids, and olives can help cope with this problem. Olive oil is an element of milk mixtures used for artificial children.

Can children have olives? In very limited quantity and only good quality. For children, olive oil will be more beneficial than the fruits themselves.

Contraindications

In the presence of allergies, as well as individual intolerance, the use of drupes should be stopped.

With caution, products are used in retinol therapy due to the risk of developing hypervitaminosis.

Is it possible to eat with pancreatitis? People suffering from pancreatitis or cholecystitis should not eat olives due to their ability to increase bile production.

How many olives can be eaten per day without being abused or harmful? 5-10 pieces or 1 tbsp. oil will suffice.

Pickled olives: benefits and harms

It is almost impossible to meet fresh fruits in stores, because. they are too bitter to taste. Transportation will be expensive and impractical due to large losses. Therefore, in countries where fruits are grown, they are immediately processed: pickled fruits and olive oil are produced.

Are canned olives healthy? Their composition, with the right technology (excluding the addition of chemicals, dyes, preservatives), is in no way inferior to fresh drupe in its usefulness. By the way, can you eat olives with pits? It turns out you can, because. the bone is successfully digested. However, this will not bring benefits and can only be practiced by people without problems with the gastrointestinal tract. It is forbidden to eat bones and children.

How useful is pickled ginger and what are the features of its use? right now!

Olives in jars will be useful for adults and children when added to salads (for example, Greek), soups (various hodgepodges); They are also good as an independent snack.

Often, stuffed fruits are found in the assortment of canned foods - cheese, lemon and other ingredients are used: the taste becomes more piquant, however, the quality of such additives may suffer.

Fruits in sliced ​​form are used in the preparation of sandwiches, in a state crushed by a blender - in the form of a pate.

Baking with drupes has a bright taste and aroma. The buns with olives and are especially delicious.

They are good for any product: meat, fish, mushrooms, pasta,.

Salads are seasoned with olive oil, it is added when baking and frying.

Benefits in cosmetology

An important property of olive oil is that it does not leave a greasy sheen, does not close pores, allowing the skin to breathe. Its rejuvenating property has been proven, one of the effects is the normalization of the skin's water balance. Elasticity and elasticity increase, the face is tightened.

About the use of olive oil in cosmetology - the following video:

The oil gives the greatest effect when applied to dry and damaged skin; continued application to oily skin may worsen the condition.

Rescues oil from stretch marks, used in anti-cellulite massages.

Periodic application of masks with oil will make the hair obedient, with a lively shine, prevent brittleness, and restore the secretion of the sebaceous glands. Egg mixture, 2 tbsp. oils and st.l. honey evenly apply on the hair and head for 20 minutes, then rinse. This mask will nourish the hair with vitamins, help to quickly restore them.

The product is also suitable for sensitive skin around the eyes: daily apply a small portion of oil to this area with massaging light movements. Leave for half an hour, remove the remnants with a napkin. Small wrinkles are visibly smoothed out even after the first application.

It is also used to remove makeup. And by adding a few drops to a jar of cream, you will get daily dosed care.

A mixture of olive oil also has a beneficial effect on nails: you can use the product as a reusable bath, or apply, massaging gently, until completely absorbed.

Thus, a very useful and valuable product, but only on one condition: the fruits must be of good quality. How to choose olives? The berries should be elastic, not loose, the stone is easily separated from the pulp. Coal-black fruits the size of grapes without a stone inside, but with iron gluconate in the composition, are highly undesirable for use, because. will do more harm. It is better to give preference to an unstuffed olive with a stone, so the content of harmful substances will be lower.

Similar content

Olives have long taken pride of place in the national cuisines of many peoples of the world. In our country, olives appeared relatively recently, so disputes do not subside around their various properties. They have an interesting spicy taste that is difficult to describe even for an experienced taster: they simultaneously contain bitterness and sweetness, sour and salty notes. The mystery of this product has long divided all food lovers into big connoisseurs of olives and their ardent haters.

Even more fuels interest in this product is the question that few people can answer: “Olive - what is it? Is it a fruit, or a vegetable, or a berry? The answers to this question are as controversial as the taste of the product. Some argue that it is a berry or fruit, as it has a bone and grows on shrubs or trees. Others claim that it is a fruit or vegetable because it requires additional processing, after which it acquires its unique taste.

To find out what olives are, you need to remember the school course of botany. In botany, there is no such thing as berries, vegetables or fruits - this is only a consumer name for the fruits of flowering plants, which are intended for seed dispersal. There are juicy (berries, drupes) and dry fruits (boxes, nuts, pods, achenes, grains). Olives, botanically speaking, are drupes, not berries, fruits, or vegetables.

Olives vs Olives: What's the Difference?

In the domestic market, consumers know not fresh fruits of olive trees, but canned products with black or green fruits. This is the reason why there is a myth among ordinary uninitiated buyers that explains why olives are black and olives are green. In their opinion, the difference between olives and black olives is that they are the fruits of different types of trees. But it's not.

In fact, the words "olives" and "olives" are Russian-language synonyms. To make sure that there is no difference between olives and olives, it is enough to find out which family the trees on which they grow belong to. Olives, they are olives, grow on trees of the olive genus, the olive family. The word "olive" has Eastern European roots. Throughout the rest of the world, the fruits of these trees are known as olives.

It is likely that this confusion with the names of the fruits of olive trees arose due to the current GOST for olives. GOST R 55464-2013 in Russian is called “Olives or black olives in filling. Specifications”. At the same time, in the English translation, the names of GOST and olives, and olives sound the same - olives (olives), however, adjusted for color. Perhaps that is why in Russia green fruits of olive trees are called olives, and black olives are called olives.

What determines the color of olives

The difference in the color of the fruits appears during their processing before canning. The fruits of the olive tree for preservation are harvested while still green. To preserve them green, it takes several weeks to soak the olives in brine. To reduce the time of harvesting olives, this process is accelerated: they are saturated with oxygen. This process is called oxidation. After that, the olives acquire a jet black color, to stabilize which a preservative is used - ferrous gluconate. After such processing, producers receive black oxidized olives, which are preserved.

After we figured out what black olives are painted with, the question is quite logical: “Are there real black olives?” The color of untreated olives depends on their degree of maturity:

• yellow-green, yellowish, white olives are harvested at the very beginning of their ripening. They are inherently immature;
• pink, red, brown, brown, chestnut color of fruits indicates their partial maturity. These olives are harvested later than green olives, but earlier than ripe ones;
• the dark color of olives is a sign of their ripeness and can have various shades: red-black, purple-black, dark chestnut, purple. But there are no jet-black olives on trees.

The main difference between self-ripened olives is that they are always sold with a stone. This is due to the fact that it is impossible to remove the stone from their mature pulp without damaging the pulp itself.

How olives grow

Olives grow on evergreen olive shrubs or trees. In botany, up to 60 species of olive trees are distinguished, but only half of them are of industrial importance.

The main industrial species of olive trees is the European olive (olive), one plant of which can produce up to 30 kg of fruit per season. Plants of this species are resistant to high temperatures, and mountain varieties have frost resistance.

Trees of this species are covered with dry hard gray bark. On their crooked branches grow narrow gray-green rough leaves. The leaves of the olive tree do not fall during the cold season: they change gradually on the tree.

Olive trees bloom in April-July. How do olives bloom? Flowers of oil trees are collected in panicles, which consist of 10-40 white fragrant flowers. After flowering on a branch of an olive tree, fruits similar to small ones appear. The olive is an oval-shaped drupe up to 4 cm long and up to 2 cm in diameter. The color and weight of the fruit depends on its variety and degree of maturity. Fruit color can vary from light green to dark purple. The pulp is elastic, oily, the skin is dense, with a waxy surface. For the first time, olive trees begin to bear fruit after 20 years, bearing fruit once every two years.

Olives are harvested 4-5 months after the flowering of the trees. Olives ripen between November and January. But the harvest time often depends not on the time when the olives ripen, but on the variety and method of harvesting and processing the olives. If they are used for canning or making green butter, they are harvested 1-2 months before they ripen.

The green fruits are usually harvested by hand because they do not fall off the stalk themselves. Ripe olives are often shaken off on a pre-spread net under the trees. Once harvested, the olives are sent for processing as soon as possible. Any delay in this process negatively affects the quality of the final product.

Where do olives grow

Today, olive trees are cultivated:

• in the Mediterranean countries (in Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Turkey);
• in the Maghreb countries (in Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Libya);
• on the Black Sea coast (in the Crimea, in Bulgaria, Georgia, in Abkhazia);
• in the countries of Asia Minor and the Middle East (in Israel, Iran, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan);
• in northern India;
• in Australia;
• in Mexico and Peru.

The cultivation of olive trees in these countries is carried out by both large producers and small farms.

In Russia, olive trees are not grown on an industrial scale, but small olive groves grow on the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Territory.

Up to 250 varieties of a cultivated species, the European olive, have been bred by the selection method. The fruits of its different varieties differ in color, size, taste and oil content in them. Olive varieties are:

• canteens, which contain a lot of pulp, so they are used for pickling, canning and other harvesting methods;
• oilseeds, which contain a lot of oils, so they are used to make olive oil;
• universal.

On modern shelves you can find many varieties of olives with a variety of origins. On an industrial scale, olives are grown in Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Turkey, Cyprus, Tunisia, Morocco, Israel.

Spanish olives

Spain is the leader in the production of olives and olive products in Europe and the world. About 50% of all exported olives worldwide come from Spanish producers.

The most popular variety cultivated in Spain is Picual, which translates as "nipple". This is a versatile variety of olives, but more often it is used to make oil. Olive trees of this variety are grown in the mountains and on the plains, while the fruits grown in different areas differ significantly in taste.

Varieties Ojiblanca and Casareña are famous for their black small fruits with soft juicy pulp, from which the stone is easily separated. These are the best olives for canning.

In Italy, olives are one of the main ingredients in many dishes. The world's most popular giant Italian table green olive is the Vittoria variety. Olives of this variety have juicy, fleshy, aromatic flesh. No food additives are used for their preparation.

On the southern Italian island of Sicily, the well-known variety of bright green olives Michio Le Olive is grown, which is famous for its fruity taste with a fresh aftertaste. To preserve their color, these Sicilian olives are stored in a special brine, the recipe of which is kept secret and passed down from generation to generation.

Greek olives

More than a hundred different varieties of olives are cultivated in Greece. Often Greek olives are named after the area where olive trees of this variety grow.

The best Greek olives are the fruits of the Kalamata variety, which got its name from the town of the same name in southern Greece, near which they are grown. Ripe olives of this variety are medium in size, purple-black in color. They have juicy flesh with a tart taste and a pronounced aroma.

Halkidiki is a variety of large green olives grown in northern Greece. Due to their large size, these fruits are used for stuffing with fillings (paprika, onions, gherkins, almonds, cheese).

The most numerous olive groves in Greece are located on the island of Crete, where the Koroneiki oilseed variety is grown. The yield of these Cretan olives per year exceeds the total yield of olive fruits in the rest of Greece. A fragrant olive oil is made from these olives.

French olives

Olives are called Nice, collected in olive groves growing near Nice. These are fruits of small size, purple or black, have oily flesh with a pleasant delicate taste.

French small black olives from Provence have a slight tangy bitterness. Olives of the Nion variety are round, small, red-brown in color and also slightly bitter. The French variety Picolini is represented by green, crisp fruits with a fresh, salty taste.

The vast majority of varieties of French olives are universal and are used for making oil and in cooking, in canned or pickled form, in the form of pastes, pates, dressings. They are used to make cosmetics.

Israeli olives

In Israel, mainly oil-bearing varieties of olives are grown, so olive production in this country is mainly aimed at making oil.

One of the popular Israeli varieties is Suri. It is believed that the real homeland of this variety is the Lebanese city of Sur (Tyre). These fragrant olives produce a spicy green oil with hints of pepper. Israeli Suri oil is well suited for cooking Jewish cuisine.

Another popular variety of olives grown in Israel and used to make olive oil is Barnea. Oil is pressed from them with a delicate aroma of fresh hay and fruity notes. Israeli green olive oil has a very beneficial property for children - its daily intake on an empty stomach is effective against worms.

The chemical composition of olives

The fruits of oil trees contain proteins, fats, carbohydrates (), which are energy and plastic material for the human body. The ratio B:L:Y per 100 grams of olives differs from their degree of maturity and variety: in unripe small fruits, their content is lower than in ripe large ones.

The taste of fresh olives is bitter-tart or bitter, so they are not eaten raw. For the consumer, the nutritional content is not in raw olives, but the amount contained in the finished product. Considering that olives are more often on the domestic market in canned form, below are data on the nutritional value and chemical composition of the canned product.

Olives are a source of vegetable fats. A noteworthy fact is that with a high fat content in olives, they are not harmful: more than 90% of the fruit pulp fats contain mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The peculiarity of unsaturated fatty acids is that in the human body they are not synthesized on their own and are practically not deposited (accumulated). For the normal functioning of the human body, daily consumption of foods rich in such fatty acids is important.

Olive carbohydrates are 50-85% composed of indigestible dietary fiber (), so these carbohydrates do not represent an energy load on the body. In addition, the glycemic index of olives is low and is only 15 units per 100 g, which allows them to be consumed by diabetics.

The pulp of olives contains phenols (oleocanthal), which have powerful antioxidant properties. These substances are rapidly destroyed during the cooking of olives, but are preserved in the first cold-pressed oil.

The pulp of the fruit of the olive tree is rich in vitamins and minerals. These substances, unlike proteins, fats and carbohydrates, do not contain calories, but are biologically active substances that affect many processes in the human body.

The chemical composition of olives depends on their variety, place of growth, time of harvest, method of processing.

More than 2 million tons of olive oil are produced annually in the world. It is used in many cuisines of the world, but for our country, olive oil is still classified as exotic.

The benefits and harms of oil depend on many factors:

• varieties of olives and where they are grown;
• the method of their collection (manually or mechanically);
• what olives make oil (green or black);
• how oil is made (first or second pressing, cold or hot);
• conditions and period of storage.

How olive oil is made

Olive oil is made from olives of varying degrees of maturity. Most often, these are ripe olives, but some varieties of olives are grown for pressing in an unripe form, for example, Israeli green oil Barnea.

The process of making oil from olives consists of several successive stages:

• fruit sorting;
• cleansing them from leaves and stalks;
• wash in warm;
• first extraction of oil;
• crushing pulp and bones;
• second oil extraction.

Most oil producers try to create a complete production cycle: from growing a crop to making oil. It is worth noting that the production of products from olives is practically waste-free: biogas is made from olive oil cake, and briquetted environmentally friendly fuel is made from olive pits.

Olive Oil Types

Depending on the method of collection, extraction and thermal or chemical treatment, olive oils are divided into several types.

Extra virgin (extra virgin)

This unfiltered oil is obtained by first cold pressing. In the process of its manufacture, no heat treatment or chemicals are used. In a laboratory study, the oil should contain less than 1% acids. Such a product contains all the vitamins and essential fats that are found in the fruits themselves, as well as oleocanthal.

Virgin (virgin)

This oil is made in the same way as extra-virgin oil, so the content of useful substances in it is preserved. The difference between virgin oil is a higher permissible acid content in it - up to 3.3%. Due to this acidity, virgin oil has a milder taste.

Refined olive

It is obtained by refining from oil, which has an acidity of over 3.3%. The taste of refined oil is neutral, it also does not have a special aroma. This is a product that contains almost only fat and does not have those useful substances that olive oil is so famous for.

pure olive

Such a product is obtained by mixing virgin and refined oils to improve the taste and aroma of the latter. Accordingly, the beneficial properties of this oil are something between virgin oil and a refined product.

Light and extra-light

In the process of manufacturing these oils, various technologies are used (separation, deodorization, bleaching, heat and chemical treatments), resulting in a product with a “light” fat composition, and at the same time with a reduced content of all other substances.

Extra virgin and virgin oils contain many nutrients and are the most expensive, while refined and light oils are the cheapest.

In addition to cost and usefulness, the choice of olive oil is influenced by its purpose:

• unrefined oils are not suitable for frying, because during heat treatment they form carcinogens;
• refined brands of oils are not suitable for dressing salads, because they lack the expected olive flavor and aroma.

How olives are harvested

Olives are eaten cooked. They are prepared for consumption in different ways:

• dry;
• dried;
• salt (dry salting method);
• marinate;
• canned.

How to remove bitterness from olives

Olives for preservation after harvest are washed and immersed in barrels with brine for several months. Thanks to the fermentation of this brine, olives lose their bitterness, become soft and sweetish. After that, the fruits are sorted, the stalks and leaves are removed, sorted by size.

Olive caliber

On a jar of canned olives, their caliber must be indicated. This depends on their value. To inform the consumer about the size of olives in a jar, symbols are used - two numbers through a fraction. These numbers mean the minimum and maximum number of olives of this caliber in 1 kg. Accordingly, the smaller the numbers indicated in the fraction, the larger the caliber of the olives. There are four calibration categories:

1. Giant, or royal - olives of especially large size (70/90, 91/100, 101/110).
2. Large (111/120, 121/140, 141/160).
3. Medium (161/180, 181/200, 201/230, 231/260).
4. Small (261/290, 291/320, 321/350, 351/380).

Thus, knowing how many grams are in the jar and the caliber of olives, you can find out how many fruits are in the jar.

How to remove the pits from olives

Olives can be preserved pitted or pitted. How are the pits removed from olives? Bones are removed using a special apparatus with knives. All these processes in large industries are carried out on automated lines.

Green olives are often stuffed. Capers, gherkins, peppers, garlic, onions and all sorts of other ingredients can be used as fillings. This process is carried out manually.

Beneficial features

Products from olives, due to the large amount of essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals they contain, have many beneficial effects on various organs and systems of the human body when ingested. The beneficial properties of olives and olive oil make it possible to include them in therapeutic diet menus, as well as in the daily diet for various pathologies of internal organs. They can be eaten with or without the bone. It is difficult to answer which olives are more useful: with or without a stone, because they act on the body in different ways.

For the cardiovascular system

Olives are a leader among foods that are good for the cardiovascular system. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are contained in large quantities in them, being absorbed into the human blood from the intestine, show their beneficial properties:

• antiatherosclerotic action (bind in the blood, prevent the formation and reduce existing atherosclerotic plaques);
• increase the elasticity of blood vessels (due to the restoration of damaged vascular endothelium);
• reduce vascular permeability (by strengthening the bonds between the cells of the vascular walls);
• reduce blood viscosity, thereby reducing the risk of pathological thrombosis;
• help lower blood pressure.

Indications for the regular use of olive products in diseases of the heart and blood vessels are:

• atherosclerosis;
• cardiac ischemia;
• arrhythmias;
• arterial hypertension;
• neurocirculatory dystonia;
• varicose veins;
• thrombosis and thrombophlebitis;
• thrombophilia;
• post-infarction and post-stroke conditions;
• angiopathy.

The benefits of the fruits of olive trees and olive oil for the heart are proven by scientific studies. After mass clinical examinations of residents of European countries, they found that residents of the Mediterranean suffer less from coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis of blood vessels than residents within the continent.

For the digestive system

What are the benefits of olives for the gastrointestinal tract? Polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins of olive products have a positive effect on the digestive system:

• stimulate the production of digestive juices and;
• heal defects on the mucous membranes;
• restore liver cells;
• have a choleretic effect;
• prevent the formation of stones in the bile ducts;
• normalize peristalsis (translational movements) of the intestine;
• remove toxins from the intestines;
• restore intestinal microflora;
• help with hemorrhoids.

Olives affect a person's stool, but it is difficult to say unequivocally whether olives strengthen or weaken, because the effect of their use depends on the presence of a stone in them.

Olive pulp, which contains a lot of fat, contributes to the accelerated excretion of intestinal contents. Therefore, with daily intake of olives in food in small quantities, they have a laxative effect and prevent constipation.

And the oil seed, which contains a lot of tannins, fixes, therefore it is useful for digestive disorders associated with diarrhea. Indigestible fiber, due to its spongy structure, is able to adsorb slags and toxic substances on itself and remove them from the body, so activated charcoal can be replaced with olives.

For the genitourinary system

Olive products can reduce the tendency to form stones in urolithiasis. Regular consumption of olive oil helps to get rid of kidney stones.

The inclusion of olive products in the daily diet is beneficial for the health of the female reproductive system, since fatty acids are included in fat metabolism and contribute to the normalization of the synthesis of female sex hormones. For men, olives are useful for their ability to increase potency and improve sperm quality.

For metabolic disorders

Olive products can be used in diabetes. They normalize the level of cholesterol in the blood in type 2 diabetes, thereby preventing the development of diabetic macro- and microangiopathies.

Olive oil is useful for gout, as it helps dissolve uric acid salts that are deposited in the joints and uric acid kidney stones.

For neurological diseases

Fatty acids and contained in olive products normalize the functioning of the central nervous system, increase its efficiency, and improve memory. Scientists have proven that daily use of olive oil improves the condition of patients with multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease, restores cognitive functions of the brain after strokes.

With inflammation

Olive products block the synthesis of prostaglandins - substances that cause inflammatory reactions in the human body. Oleocanthal, found unchanged in extra virgin olive oil, has anti-inflammatory properties, mimicking the action of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This allows you to include olives and products from them in medical nutrition for arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis and spondylosis.

For the body of those who lose weight

Useful properties of olives and their products are successfully used in various diets. However, they should be included in the diet menu in doses, since they have a high energy value. For example, it is allowed to alternate black and green olives, but no more than 4 pieces per day. Their benefit for weight loss lies in the complex effect of the substances contained in olives on the human body:

• binding "harmful" fats and cholesterol in the intestines and blood;
• saturation of the body with essential fatty acids;
• antianemic action;
• increase the elasticity of blood vessels and skin;
• improvement of the condition of the skin and its appendages (hair, nails);
• normalization of the chair;
• mood improvement.

Why do people who lose weight crave olives so much? What is missing in their body? Olives are rich in sodium salts, so the desire to feast on them arises when it is deficient. This desire is especially true in people who are on a diet. To satisfy the desire to eat olives, you should not include them in your diet in canned, pickled and salted form. This cooking makes the olives very salty and is known to retain fluid in the body. It is better to give preference to dried, dried olives or olive oil.

against cancer

According to medical statistics, women in Mediterranean countries suffer from breast cancer several times less often than European women living in other areas. The assumption that the reason for this is a large amount of olives and olive oil in the diet, was confirmed in large-scale studies conducted in Spain from 2003 to 2009. The purpose of the research was to prove the anti-cancer effect of olive fats.

Spanish doctors examined about four thousand women who followed different diets:

1. The first group of women followed the Mediterranean diet with olive oil for a long time.
2. The second is the Mediterranean diet with hazelnuts.
3. The third is low-fat diets.
4. The fourth group was a control group and did not provide for a change in diet.

In the course of medical examinations of women who participated in this experiment, it was found that women in the first group were almost 70% less likely to develop breast cancer than women in the other three groups.

For pregnant women and nursing mothers

The mother's body experiences an increased need for nutrients, vitamins and minerals, especially essential (essential) ones, in order to provide them to her baby in sufficient quantities. If there is a deficiency of such substances, they begin to “wash out” from the organs of a pregnant woman or a nursing mother, leading to a disruption in their functioning. With a continuing deficiency of nutrients in the future, their deficiency also occurs in the child.

Substances of olives have a beneficial effect on the body of a woman during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Their benefits are undeniable both for the female body and for the harmonious development of the child. Olives, especially ripened on their own, are a source of iron, therefore they prevent the development of anemia in pregnant women. Healthy fats in olive oil improve the condition of the placenta and cervix before childbirth.

Regular consumption of olives (except canned ones) and olive oil helps pregnant women and nursing mothers, without compromising their own health, provide their baby's body with the substances it needs for growth and harmonious development.

For kids

Olives are useful in childhood, but they must be introduced into the diet of children very carefully. From what age it is better to do this depends on the state of the child's digestive system. Considering that in our country olives are sold in the form of canned food, children over 3 years old can start introducing these products into the menu.

It is better to start with ripe olives, which are sold in glass jars, but no more than 1 piece per day. At the same time, the composition of the product should not contain preservatives, especially ferrous gluconate. This preservative may cause allergies.

For animals

Olive oils for pets (dogs and cats) are also useful: they improve digestion, make the coat smooth and shiny. Therefore, it is not at all surprising why dogs and cats love food flavored with olive oil.

But sometimes it also happens that animals are “pulled” to eat olives from the owner’s table or drink the brine in which they were. Owners have quite natural questions: “Are they harmful to animals? Can a dog or cat be given them?

It is not known for certain why cats love olives. They probably instinctively feel the usefulness of this fruit. Fresh, dried or dried olives can be given to animals, but in a limited form. As for canned olives, it is not recommended to give them to pets, as they contain a lot of salt and preservatives.

The benefits of bones

Many olive lovers are wondering if it is possible to eat olive pits? What are olive pits good for?

Olive pits dissolve in the stomach, enveloping its walls, which is useful for erosions and ulcers of the gastric mucosa. In order for their anti-ulcer effect to manifest itself, it is enough to swallow 4-5 seeds on an empty stomach.

Swallowing whole olive pits is often difficult and sometimes dangerous (some varieties of olives have large and sharp pits). In order not to harm your health, for the treatment of stomach ulcers, it is better to grind the bones and eat them in powder form.

Olive pits are useful as absorbents after alcohol abuse. The bone is partially digested in the stomach, enveloping its mucous membrane, and the rest of it dissolves in the intestine, absorbing toxic substances on itself.

For face and body

The rich chemical composition of olive oil has a good cosmetic effect, improving the condition of the skin and its appendages (hair, nails). On its basis, a variety of homemade cosmetics for women are made (creams, ointments and body balms, face and hair masks, nail baths). It is also included in industrial cosmetics.

Cosmetics based on it are recommended for use every day, because they have practically no contraindications. But before using them, especially with problematic skin, it is necessary to conduct skin allergy tests. To do this, a little money is applied to the bend of the elbow joint and after 30 minutes they look at the reaction of the skin in this place. An allergy test can be considered negative if there is no burning sensation, itching, redness or irritation at the site of application.

Restrictions and contraindications for use

Canned olives, like any other canned food, are saturated with salty marinade, so it is not recommended to eat them daily. This is especially true of oxidized black olives, which contain ferrous gluconate as a preservative. One can of oxidized black olives contains more than 20 mg of ferrous gluconate at its maximum daily dose for an adult of 10 mg, so it can cause food poisoning. This preservative makes olives an allergenic product.

• children;
• pregnant women, especially in the early stages;
• women with HB (breastfeeding);
• with gastritis with high acidity;
• with pancreatitis and cholecystitis in the acute phase;
• with gallstone disease;
• with kidney stones;
• with cystitis.

Contraindications to the use of canned olives are also individual intolerance and allergies.

How to use

Canned oxidized olives are tasty, but they cannot be a medicinal product: they should be considered solely as a delicacy that should be included in the diet only occasionally.

How many olives can you eat and which ones? In order for olives to show their healing properties to the full, they must be consumed daily in dried, dried, pickled form in the amount of 5-7 pieces per day.

Fruits can be replaced with olive oil. Preferred is the daily use by adults for medicinal purposes of high-quality unrefined vegetable oil, best of all - extra virgin or virgin, 1-3 tablespoons each. It should be remembered that 1 tablespoon of olive oil contains 200-220 kcal.

How to choose olive oil

Recently, Chinese entrepreneurs have begun to produce olive oil from fruits purchased in bulk from olive farmers. Transportation of fresh olives adversely affects the quality of the oil from them, so it is better to refuse such a purchase.

In today's market, according to the University of California, about 80% of olive oil sold is counterfeit. Counterfeits often have bottles and labels similar to the original, so it's very easy to make a mistake. How to distinguish fake olive oil from real?

To protect yourself when buying this valuable product, you must follow simple rules:

1. It is advisable to buy a product in specialized or branded stores, which is better than buying it on the Internet or in the market.
2. It is better to prefer oil of well-known brands.
3. Before buying, you need to study on the Internet (preferably on the manufacturer's website) how the original packaging and label differ, and what is its estimated market value.
4. Carefully inspect the packaging and label on the selected product container for compliance with the original.
5. The label must contain information in Russian about the manufacturer, type and method of oil extraction, storage conditions, container volume, expiration date.
6. The price of the original product should not differ significantly from the average market price.
7. Do not purchase expired olive oil. Not only will it be bitter, but it can also cause food poisoning.

Arriving home, you should put the container with oil in the refrigerator. At low temperatures, natural olive oil becomes cloudy and flakes appear in it. At room temperature, the oil becomes clear again and the flakes dissolve.

How to choose olives

It is best to buy olives in the regions where they are grown. It is there that you can buy the most delicious and healthy fruits that are difficult to find with us.

The cost of harvested olives depends on many factors:

• where and how trees grow;
• how the crop is harvested;
• caliber;
• preparation method (salted, pickled, canned);
• the presence of a bone (with or without stones);
• intact fruits (whole or cut);
• type of filling.

In order for the purchased olives to be tasty and healthy, you need to be able to choose them. Today, these fruits can be purchased by weight (in barrels or polymer containers) and individually packaged (in cans or vacuum-packed). Which are more useful?

Bulk purchase

When buying olives by weight, you need to pay attention to:

1. Container with olives. The container must be plastic and have a lid. If olives are sold from an open tin container, such a purchase should be discarded. When opened, tin containers quickly oxidize and release toxic substances into the product.
2. Label. The label must be available to the buyer so that he can read the manufacturer's information and clarify the date of manufacture and expiration date of the product.
3. temperature and storage conditions. Storage of pickled olives without brine is unacceptable. The fruits must be completely covered with it. The storage temperature of an open container with pickled olives in brine should not exceed +6°C.
4. Brine color. The brine should not be cloudy and dark. It is desirable that the brine be covered with a layer of olive oil on top, which prevents it from spoiling.
5. Kind of olives. Crumpled, weathered and shriveled fruits among fresh ones should not come across. If any, this indicates that the seller mixed the unsold remainder of the product with the fresh one.
6. Fruit taste. Try one stone. Its flesh should be soft and well separated from the bone. Foreign smell and taste should not be felt.
7. Pay attention to how and how the fruits are taken out of the brine and what devices are used for this. The safety of the released product depends on the purity of these devices.

But, no matter how careful and careful the buyer is, he is not immune from unscrupulous sellers. To avoid fraud and forgery, you need to purchase olives in individual packaging.

Purchase of individual packaging

What are the individual packages? How to choose canned olives? On the shelves of stores, the consumer is offered olives in different types of packaging: in glass, cans and vacuum packaging. Which ones are better? Choosing from the proposed options, it is better to give preference to olives in a vacuum or a glass jar. So you can see how the drupes look, what color and size the fruits are.

The label must indicate how much the product weighs without packaging (net weight). Be sure to pay attention to the shelf life of olives. Expired fruits can cause food poisoning or intoxication with salts of heavy metals.

How to store the product

Canned olives in an airtight container are stored for 3 years. After opening the original packaging, the shelf life is greatly reduced. How long open canned olives are stored depends on the material from which the container is made.

It is strictly forbidden to store olives in an open tin can. The inner surface of this container is not designed for contact with air, therefore it quickly oxidizes. Toxic oxidation products pass into the brine, and from it into the olives. The use of such olives is fraught with severe food poisoning and intoxication. How to store open olives from a tin so that they do not cause poisoning? Immediately after opening a can of olives, the product must be transferred to a glass or ceramic container.

How to store open olives? In a glass or polymer container, open canned olives in brine can be stored for up to 3 days.

It happens that after opening the canned olives, the brine was drained, and the whole product was not used. How to save the rest of the olives without brine? Is it possible to freeze them? It is impossible to store olives without brine: the product quickly weathers, loses moisture, and shrinks. Freezing olives without brine or with it should also not be. Frozen olives after defrosting become very soft and tasteless.

Use in cooking

Whole olives with pits or stuffed olives are used as a separate snack. Sliced ​​and pitted olives are used to decorate dishes, added to salads, soups, casseroles, stews. They are mashed and made into olive paste. Thanks to their spicy taste, olives add spicy notes to drinks.

Olive oil is used in cooking for dressing salads, making sauces and marinades, and baking. Can you fry in olive oil? Only refined olive oil is suitable for frying. Extra virgin oils are only eaten raw.

Are olives eaten raw?

Raw olives have a bitter taste, so it is not customary to eat them raw. Everywhere, except for their homeland - Greece. For example, in one of the central Greek regions of Magnesia, ripe olives are eaten without any pre-treatment. This is a special local variety of large dark cherry olives with easily peelable skin and juicy oily soft flesh. These olives have a tart, bittersweet flavor with a savory aftertaste.

But this use of olives in food is an exception to the rule. Most olives in cooking are used in processed form. For culinary purposes, they are dried, dried, salted, pickled, preserved.

What do olives go with?

The specific taste of the fruits of the olive tree goes well with:

• spicy herbs;
• lemon
• pickled garlic and onions;
• vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers);
• greenery;
• nuts;
• pickled cheeses;
• fish;
• seafood;
• lean meats;
• alcoholic beverages (wine, liquor).

Black olives are more suitable for meat dishes, and green olives are more suitable for fish and seafood.

What do olives eat with?

Different people have different taste preferences. Very often they depend on the peculiarities of national cuisine. In Greece, they prefer to eat olives with feta, cheese, tomatoes,. In Spain, olives are usually served with sweet peppers, meat dishes, and seafood. In Italy, olives are added to pizza, lasagna, eaten with mozzarella, and tomatoes.

But, as they say: “There is no friend for the taste and color!”. Where to add, with what and how to eat olives, everyone is free to choose at their discretion. The main thing is that it was delicious!

In Mediterranean countries, flavored olive oil is used as a salad dressing. How is homemade flavored olive oil made? To do this, for 15-20 days, light or refined olive oil is insisted on:

• spices (, coriander, cloves,);
• herbs (thyme, basil, marjoram, rosemary, oregano);
• zest and fruits of citrus fruits;
• vegetables (garlic, horseradish, paprika);
• dried berries.

In recent years, it has become fashionable in Mediterranean European countries to decorate the table with olives, which are dyed with natural food dyes in red, orange, emerald colors.

Sometimes it happens that you need pitted olives to cook a dish, but in the refrigerator there are only fruits with pits. To get the pits from olives at home, you can use a machine to remove pits from cherries.

There is another secret to pitting olives: with a wide blade of a knife, lightly press the olive to the work surface. If the olive is ripe, then the bone in it will begin to move. After that, it can be easily removed with tweezers.

To extend the shelf life of open canned olives, you need to drain the brine, and pour the rest of the product with olive oil. You can store these preserves for up to 2 months.

In the history of mankind, the branch of the olive tree has always been considered a symbol of peace among many peoples.

Greece is considered the birthplace of the olive tree. In ancient Greek mythology, there is a myth about the appearance of the olive tree. According to this myth, once there was a dispute between the goddess of wisdom, crafts and knowledge, Athena Pallas, and the ruler of the seas and oceans, Poseidon, over the possession of Attica. Competing with each other, Poseidon presented the people of this region as a gift with a source of sea water, and Athena, sticking a spear into the ground, presented an olive tree. The judges recognized Athena as the winner in the dispute, since they considered her gift more useful, and gave her this land under protection. The people of Attica, in gratitude for such a generous gift, named the city of Athens in her honor.

The Olympians of Ancient Greece were awarded a wreath woven from olive branches if they won the Games. Its image can be found on ancient Greek vases and amphoras, from where the culture of worship of this plant passed to Ancient Rome. There also appeared the first descriptions and characteristics of olive trees and their fruits in the literature.

But not only the Greeks and Romans revered olive trees. There are also references to this tree in the Bible: during the Flood that land was nearby, Noah was notified by a dove that brought him an olive branch. And the Virgin Mary was informed that she would give birth to the Savior of the human race, by an angel who brought her a branch of an olive tree.

In the Middle East, the olive tree was considered a symbol of love and passion, where there is a legend about the appearance of the olive tree. Once Princess Maslina fell in love with a shepherd named Olivo, but her love was not mutual. Then the Olive Tree got angry and killed the shepherd on a dark night. At the place of his death, a tree with narrow leaves and small, tart fruits grew. This tree in honor of the shepherd was called olive, and the fruits ripening on it are olives or olives.

The olive tree in Muslim countries is considered the Tree of Life and the symbol of the Prophet.

The olive branch today is a symbol of peace and is present on the coats of arms of many countries: Italy, Cyprus, Serbia, Portugal, France, Zaire. The white olive branch is featured on the emblem of the United Nations (UN).

These interesting facts testify to the importance and reverence of this plant in many countries of the world.

Conclusion

For many centuries, olives and olive oil have been the basis of the economy of many countries. Today they have not lost their popularity. They are valued not only for their taste, but also for their health benefits, low calorie content, and high amounts of healthy fats, fiber, and iron. Knowing how olives are useful, it becomes clear why you want to eat them.

Fresh olives are not edible until they have undergone certain cooking. They are consumed salted, pickled or canned. Green olives are stuffed with a variety of fillings, ranging from onion and garlic to gourmet blue cheese. Olive oil is equally popular in cooking.

Useful properties of olives and oil from them are successfully used in clinical nutrition for diabetes, gout, cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, urolithiasis, sexual disorders. Even the stone of the fruit of the olive tree is useful.

Despite all the useful properties, olives have a number of limitations when consumed. So that these fruits do not harm health, you need to know how much and how to eat olives correctly for a particular ailment. Before taking them as a preventive or therapeutic agent, you should consult your doctor.

Sources

1. Zhigarevich I. A. – Olive culture. - M.: Selkhozgiz, 1955. - 246 p.
2. Petyaev S.I. - Maslina. – M.: Pishchepromizdat, 1951. – 58 p.
We will be grateful if you use the buttons: