About olive

Olives like many other things in our planet has been categorized by its size and its origin. This means that there is a name for each category. Therefore we can find out how many olives we get per Kilo Gram of certain olive.

Size Number (per kg)
Bullets 351–380
Fine 321–350
Brilliant 291–320
Superior 261–290
Large 231–260
Extra Large 201–230
Jumbo 181–200
Extra Jumbo 161–180
Giants 141–160
Colossal 121–140
Super Colossal 111–120
Mammoth 101–110
Super Mammoth 91–100

Olives, one of the oldest foods known, are thought to have originated in Crete between five and seven thousand years ago. Their use quickly spread throughout Egypt, Greece, Palestine and Asia Minor.
Olives are mentioned in the Bible, depicted in ancient Egyptian art, and played an important role in Greek mythology. Since ancient times, the olive tree has provided food, fuel, timber and medicine for many civilizations. It has also been regarded as a symbol of peace and wisdom. Olive oil has been consumed since 3000 BC.
Olives were brought to America by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers during the 15th and 16th century. Franciscan missinariesw introduced olives into California in the late 18th century. Today, much of the commercial cultivation of olives occurs in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey.

Olives are harvested in September but available all year round which makes addition to salads, meat and poultry dishes and, of course, pizza’s.
Olives cannot be eaten right off of the tree. They require special processing to reduce their natural bitterness. These processing methods vary with the olive variety, region where they are cultivated and the desired taste, texture and color. Some olives are picked green and unripe, while others are allowed to fully ripen on the tree to a black color. The original color of the olive, the color is affected by fermentation and/or curing in oil, water, brine or salt.

How to Select and Store

While olives have been traditionally sold in jars and cans, many stores are now offering them in bulk in large barrels. Buying bulk olives will allow you to experiment with many different types with which you may be unfamiliar and to purchase only as many as you need at one time.
While whole olives are very common, you may also find ones that have been pitted, as well as olives that have been stuffed with either peppers, garlic or almonds. If you purchase olives in bulk, make sure that the store has a good turnover and keeps their olives immersed in brine for freshness and to retain moistness.
Olives will keep freshest if stored in an airtight container.