Olives, ripe, canned (jumbo-super colossal)

About Olives, ripe, canned (jumbo-super colossal)

The olive is the small, oval fruit of the olive tree, a Mediterranean staple cultivated for thousands of years for both eating and pressing into oil. Raw olives are intensely bitter and must be cured in brine, salt, lye, or water before they become the savory, briny snack we know, ranging from green olives picked unripe to dark purple and black olives left to ripen fully. Popular table varieties include buttery Castelvetrano, wine-dark Kalamata, Spanish Manzanilla, French Nicoise, and Moroccan oil-cured olives, sold whole, pitted, sliced, or stuffed with pimento, garlic, or almonds.

Olives are rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants such as vitamin E and polyphenols, though the curing process makes them fairly high in sodium. They are eaten on their own as a snack or appetizer, tossed into salads, pizzas, pasta, and tapenade, baked into breads, and simmered into Mediterranean braises, while pressed olive oil is one of the kitchen's essential fats. A splash of their brine can even season dressings and cocktails.

Store olives submerged in their brine in the refrigerator, where they keep for weeks, topping up with a little salt water if needed to keep them covered.

Source: USDA FoodData Central & FooDB. Values are per 100 g, edible portion.