Olives are one of the most popular ingredients in Mediterranean cuisine. They are often found on vegetarian pizza, in healthy Greek salad or in delicate tapas. They also go excellently with fish dishes and stews. They are up to four centimeters in size, oblong or round, black or green – and it is impossible to imagine Mediterranean cuisine without them. They are also one of the oldest foods in the world.
Green and black olives
Green and black olives differ not by their variety or origin, but by their degree of ripeness. Green olives are harvested earlier, while the black fruits are fully ripe. Green olives have a fruity, tart, spicy flavor. They are also firmer than their black sisters. These taste savory and slightly bitter. However, olives are not to be enjoyed raw due to their bitter substances and are therefore usually consumed pickled in oil or brine. By the way: The question whether the tasty products of the olive tree belong to fruits or vegetables can be answered very easily. Since olives grow on long-lived trees, they are considered fruits.
Olives are healthy nutrient packages
Olives are real nutrient bombs. They contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and valuable secondary plant compounds. The fruits are rich in:
- The minerals and trace elements phosphorus, calcium, sodium, iron, magnesium, zinc.
- The vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, E, folic acid and provitamin A (beta-carotene).
- Secondary plant substances such as polyphenols and sterols.
Nutritional value of olives
The green stone fruits, picked still unripe, have fewer calories as well as a lower content of important vital substances than black olives. However, for both stages of ripeness, they contain decidedly low levels of carbohydrates, only about 3 grams per 100 grams for green olives and 4.9 grams for black. Black olives have up to 45 grams of fat per 100 grams, making them more substantial than the green fruits, which have only about 13.5 grams of fat. Nevertheless, their occasional consumption is recommended, because the fatty acids of olives belong to the monounsaturated fatty acids, which are considered healthy. Pickling olives in oil also increases their calorie content. Depending on how the olives are pickled, green olives pack about 130 kilocalories (kcal), while black ones pack 350 kilocalories or more.
Healthy effect of olives
Due to their valuable ingredients, olives are said to have numerous positive effects on health. Thus, it is said, olives:
- Have a preventive effect against hardening of the arteries.
- Lower too high blood pressure
- Reduce LDL cholesterol levels and increase HDL levels
- Reduce the risk of heart attack
- Boost the metabolism
- Act against constipation
- Are anti-inflammatory
- Reduce the risk of breast cancer
- Stimulate the flow of bile and relieve gallstones
- Reduce wrinkles
- Provide dry skin with moisture
Tips for eating olives
If you want to benefit optimally from the many beneficial properties of the healthy fruit from the Mediterranean, it is best to consume an average of seven olives a day – at least in Spain it is recommended by the “Society for Basic and Applied Nutritional Science”. However, in order to get as much as possible of the valuable ingredients, you should not heat olives or olive oil too much: After all, when reaching the smoking point, the antioxidants (vitamin E and phenols) are destroyed. It is better not to consume olives during pregnancy. As the buyer cannot inspect the hygienic standards of the producers, there is a risk of contracting a listeriosis infection during pregnancy. This is especially dangerous for unborn children.
Olives – in every preparation a pleasure
Commercially available olives are pickled either in brine, olive oil or vinegar. This gives them a longer shelf life and also makes them taste less bitter than freshly harvested fruit. For pickling olives, citric acid and sea salt are also used. Olives pickled in olive oil or vinegar are often seasoned with spicy herbs such as chili and garlic. In Spain, pitted green olives are traditionally stuffed with the pulp of red peppers. Olive paste is also a popular food.It is called tapenade in French Provence and is prepared from pitted black olives. Other ingredients are anchovies, capers, garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper. This way, the healthy olives can also be spread on bread. Olive oil is obtained by pressing or centrifuging the pitted fruit and is the most popular edible fat, especially in the countries around the Mediterranean. The healthiest is the cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil, in which the valuable secondary plant substances of the olives are still preserved. This can even be used to a certain extent for frying, as virgin olive oil has a fairly high smoke point (180 degrees). It is ideally suited for Spanish and Italian recipes.
Olive oil for skin and hair
Olive oil and salt make an excellent facial scrub. Olive cream moisturizes dry skin and reduces wrinkles. You can even use this versatile cooking oil for hair care: Simply massage a few teaspoons of it into your hair and scalp and let it work for about two hours. After that, wash it out thoroughly. The hair treatment eliminates split ends and frees the scalp from unpleasant dandruff. Olive oil wraps around each hair like a protective film, keeps it from drying out and makes your hair shiny. In addition, hair treatments with olive oil help to stop hair loss.
Buy and store olives
If you want to buy the hearty stone fruit, you can find them in vegetable stores as well as at the deli counter in the supermarket. The black and green olives are available year-round in this country. They are usually pickled. Olives are also available in canned form. Fans of the black fruit, however, should look carefully when buying. Because not all black olives are actually harvested ripe. Sometimes black colored green olives are sold. It is therefore advisable to look at the label beforehand: E585 (ferrous II lactate) or E579 (ferrous II gluconate) are then listed there, or the note “blackened” is attached. To ensure that the product is as pure as possible, it should not contain any preservatives or flavor enhancers. These are completely superfluous in the case of airtight packed olives, as they have a long shelf life anyway. Unopened canned olives will keep for years. Even opened jars or packages stay fresh for months in the refrigerator. By the way, if you need to pit olives, the following trick is recommended. Place the fruit on a wooden board and press a second board firmly on the olives from above. These burst thereby and can then be freed with little effort from the stone.
Interesting facts about olives and olive tree
That olives are not only healthy, but also a suitable means of beauty, knew already the ancient Egyptians and the people of Greek and Roman antiquity. As archaeological findings from Apulia (Italy) prove, they were a popular food even in the Neolithic period. The Bible mentions the olive tree and its valuable oil, which was used in religious ceremonies. Its solid wood was considered a good timber for construction. More than 1,000 different varieties of olive trees thrive around the Mediterranean. With a lifespan of several hundred years, the Mediterranean tree is considered one of the longest-lived plants on earth. The gnarled olive tree can grow up to 20 meters high and is extremely undemanding. It bears flowers from April to June. However, its fruits can be harvested only from the seventh year after planting. But then it bears at least 20 kilograms of fruit every year from November to February. Most of them are immediately processed into olive oil. In many places, the olive tree fruits are still harvested manually. For this purpose, nets are spread under the trees and the black or green olives are then carefully knocked off the branches. An even gentler method is to collect the olives by hand. Where possible, shaking machines are also used for harvesting. Four hours later, the fruit is processed. In this way, the healthy ingredients of the olives are preserved as much as possible.