Olives

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.