Olive

The fruit from the olive tree that is small and round with a pit or stone surrounded by the flesh. Olives vary in color from bright green to black, depending on ripeness when the fruit was picked. There are many different varieties of olives grown throughout the world in countries such as Italy, Greece, France, Spain, Morocco, Israel, Chile, and the United States. Generally, the name of the olive denotes the location where the olive originated or was grown, such as a Mytilini olive, grown in the Mytilini, the capital of Lesvos, which is one of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. However, in addition to place of origin, olives may also be named for the type of cure, the type of marinade used after the cure, or the cultivar name of the olive tree on which the fruit is grown.

When olives are first picked from the tree, they are inedible because of the glucoside in their flesh. Once the glucoside is leached from the flesh through a curing process, the olives become edible. When the olives are stored, they are placed in a brine or salt to preserve them. Olives are mainly used to produce olive oil or for eating as an appetizer, an addition to a relish tray or as an ingredient added to sandwiches, pizza, salads and other dishes.