The olive's fruit, also called an "olive", is of major agricultural importance in the Mediterranean region as the source of olive oil; it is one of the core ingredients in Mediterranean cuisine. The tree and its fruit give their name to the plant family,
Olives are one of those foods that can range from simple to complex—from a basic black to a vibrant green, from very mild to super salty. The fruit first turns green and then gets a shiny black color after ripening. Inside the fleshy fruit there is olive seed.
It may surprise you to learn that the only difference between green olives and black olives is ripeness; unripe olives are green, whereas fully ripe olives are black. Because the raw green olives have a naturally bitter taste, they need to be cured; this can be done through various methods including oil-curing, water-curing, brining, dry-curing, or placing in a lye solution. As olives are the Mediterranean in origin, most varieties come from Turkey. Olive color varies from brownish purple to black.
Have you ever heard about Turkish breakfast? Olives are staple for us in the morning in addition to lots of other foods like cheeses, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, eggs, pastries, jams, butter and newly brewed black tea.
Although olives are considered as breakfast food in Turkey, I love to snack on them between meals too. They can be eaten alone out of hand or incorporated into recipes.. Olives make awesome appetizers with a generous amount of olive oil on them. You can even garnish them with some dried or fresh thyme and lemon slices. Even some hot red pepper flakes would add an amazing touch on them.
Olives infuse dishes with a new depth of flavor. The salty brine melds well with everything from rich cheeses to biting citrus. Even you may have them at breakfast ,you could also use olives in lots of different recipes such as tarama, tapas pasta sauce ,tacos, pizza,cheesy oil bread ,puffs,salad and chicken meals.
In order to prevent the olives from spoiling, you should close the lid of the jar or container in a way that does not get air. In order not to spoil the olive, you should definitely turn it inside out when you put olive oil or sunflower oil in it. When you shake the jar twice a week, every olive will touch the oil so that there is no possibility of spoiling. You should also be careful to keep it in a cool and dry place.
Enjoy it.