Proudly displayed on all 10 fingertips during holiday events, olives are definitely a true “finger” food. Remember how much you enjoyed displaying olive-tipped fingers during holiday feasts as a kid, then happily picking them off one-by-one? No celebratory gathering is quite complete without the familiar relish tray piled high with olives. They’re easily popped in the mouth for a quick, salty snack, or skewered on fancy toothpicks to complete the classic martini recipe – shaken, not stirred…  Olives 101
What are olives, anyway? Legumes? Nuts? Vegetables? Believe it or not, olives are actually a type of fruit, hailing from the Oleaceae family. Not the sweet flesh you’d expect in a fruit, but still a fruit nonetheless. The flesh of a fresh-picked olive contains a high amount of tannins – astringent compounds that are extremely bitter. For this reason, olives must be cured or processed in order to become edible. There are four main processing methods used to produce the edible olives we know and love:  1.       Brine-cured (lengthy time period) – Known as the Spanish method, olives are soaked for seven months in brine – a solution of salt and water used for pickling. 2.       Brine-cured (short time period) – This second method involves a much shorter soaking period, either 1-2 weeks to produce a crunchy olive, or one or more months for a chewier, sweeter olive. 3.       Dry-cured or Oil-cured – These methods are most common in Greece and involve packaging olives in salt or oil and aging them for a few months time which shrivels the skins and flesh. 4.       Lye-cured – Used only in the U.S., this method of curing is complete in just days, rather than months. After a brief soak in lye, olives are boiled in iron for color preservation, and then canned. This process produces the black Mission olives Americans are most familiar with.  Nutritional Benefits
From the dark purple-black Greek Kalamata olives to the tan Calabrese olives of Italy, there are many types of olives to choose from. An average serving of olives (about 10 large olives or 1/3 cup) offers just slightly over 50 calories, most of which come from fat calories. All olives are high in fat, but don’t worry, it’s mainly monounsaturated fat – the “good” fat. However, when it comes to sodium, watch out. It’s easy to pop olive after olive, compounding your sodium intake, but stop after one serving to keep both calories and sodium in check. 

Olives aren’t just made for relish trays and toothpicks. They can add a tart, salty depth to many different dishes. Get creative with your cuisine by tossing slices of your favorite olives in pasta salad, pan-sautéing chicken breasts and topping with a cream based sauce dotted with green olives, or blending up an olive tapenade spread, which makes for a great appetizer or sandwich condiment. For a great olive recipe, try: Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Capers and Olives