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For Your Table

olives

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Olive U

Learn how to make these stone fruits a star or a flavourful addition in any meal

by HANNAH SELINGER

A savoury fruit ubiquitous in the Mediterranean and grown in other regions of the world, including North America, the olive is more than just an addition to your favourite cheese board. Olives are known for their healthy fats and vitamin E and other antioxidants, says Costco member Rahaf Al Bochi, the U.S.-based owner of Olive Tree Nutrition LLC.

“They are rich in healthy monounsaturated fats called oleic acid,” Al Bochi says. So when dinnertime calls, make this health-forward ingredient the main attraction.

After harvesting, olives are packed in salt and dry-cured or brine-cured, which can change their texture, flavour and appearance. Dry-cured olives are wrinkled and mildly bitter. Brine-cured olives are plump, juicy and somewhat fruity.

The green or black colour of olives indicates ripeness, not variety, says Costco member and food author Hannah Howard.

“In general, the darker an olive, the riper it was when it was harvested,” she says.

Ripe olives have a fuller, richer flavour. Green olives tend to be saltier and more piquant. For a brinier flavour, consider green olives in cooking. Green olives also fare well on cheese boards, where they do justice to their equally salty, savoury counterparts.

Black olives, on the other hand, work well in dishes that require subtle earthy notes. Mushrooms and cooked meats are natural complements.

As for olive variety, Kalamatas are a deep purple, salty, meaty olive, while light black Greek table olives are preserved in vinegar or olive oil. Buttery, mild, bright green Castelvetrano olives are named for the area of Sicily from which they come. Olives from Spain are often stuffed with red peppers called pimentos. Howard calls these “classic martini olives” and adds that olives can be stuffed with garlic, jalapeños and many other things.

Olives are eminently versatile, says Suzy Karadsheh, Costco member and CEO and founder of The Mediterranean Dish, a food and lifestyle website (themediterraneandish.com). She uses them with everything from chicken to baked fish.

“You can chop them up and add them to your bread dough,” she says.

But don’t feel confined. Use olives in a starring role, as the central ingredient in pesto, in an olive salad, in tapenade or even atop flatbread.

As Karadsheh says, “Olives are a wonderful flavour-maker.”


Hannah Selinger is a food and lifestyle writer based in Massachusetts.


Costco Connection: You’ll find a variety of black and green olives in Costco warehouses. Groceries are available for delivery through Costco Grocery.