Varieties of olives (olives): description and characteristics of the best, how to choose in a store

On the shelves of shops a variety of olives of various varieties. They differ in color and size, type of packaging, country of origin. Common is its popularity as a snack on the festive table due to its spicy taste. Equally popular is olive oil, a tasty and he althy product.

General description of the plant

The olive has been cultivated since ancient times, today there are no wild trees. It occurs in the form of a tree and a shrub, as a rule, it reaches a height of no more than 10-12 m. The leaves of an evergreen plant are gray-green on the upper side, silvery on the lower, narrow, elongated shape.The bark of a young tree is light gray, darkening with age.

Blossoming begins in April, when the plant is covered with small white flowers collected in a brush. A year later, the tree bears oval-shaped fruits up to 4 cm long, the color of which changes as it ripens from light green to dark brown and dark purple, almost black.

Useful and harmful properties of olives

According to ancient Greek myth, the olive is a gift from the gods to people. And this is true, because the fruit pulp contains a lot of vitamins, trace elements and unsaturated fatty acids.

The list of useful properties of olives is quite long. They lower cholesterol, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, normalize metabolism, have a calming effect on the nervous system, increase hemoglobin.

In addition to taking the fruit inside, use creams and lotions with the addition of olive oil. Vitamins A and E in its composition have a beneficial effect on the skin.

Olive leaves are also used for medicinal purposes. Brewed as a tea, olive leaves boost immunity and reduce nervous tension.

As for contraindications, olives have practically none. They should be used with caution by people suffering from cholecystitis, due to the choleretic effect of the fruit. A slight laxative effect makes it undesirable to eat with diarrhea. It should not be forgotten that any canned foods contain a large amount of s alt, so it is better to exclude them for gastritis and stomach ulcers.

Difference between olives and black olives

In Russia, green fruits are called olives, and black ones are called olives. In fact, this is the same fruit of the same olive tree - the European olive. All over the world, the word for fruits of different colors is the same - olives.

Green fruits are unripe, and black fruits are already ripe, picked two months later than green ones. But the black color is also obtained after the color of green unripe fruits is stabilized with the help of additives.

Popular olive varieties

Varieties of olives are most often named by the geographical area where they grow or where they come from. Among the most popular are the following.

Kalamata

Grows in the south of Greece near the city of Kalamata. When ripe, they acquire an eggplant color and a fruity taste. Large almond-shaped fruits have juicy pulp. It always goes on sale with a bone. Widely used in Provencal cuisine for pasta and bread.

Cracked green olives

To remove the bitterness from unripe green fruits, they are beaten with a stone, which is why the bright characteristic of this variety appeared in the name. After pre-treatment, it is marinated in s alt water with aromatic ingredients such as wild fennel and lemon. The resulting characteristic taste makes them a popular addition to alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Tassos

Thassos black olives are dried in the sun and cured in s alt for a rich flavor and sticky texture. After the fruits become like raisins, they are served with cheese, used as an additive to salads and stews, and put on pizza. They sell shriveled black olives packed with oregano in olive oil.

Manaki

Fruits have a light green color and a pronounced olive flavor. Small size and weight. Elastic crispy pulp, easily separated from the stone, is especially appreciated. Ripens slowly.

Blonde Conservolea

The variety is used to make snacks for traditional Greek vodka. To do this, unripe fruits are harvested and marinated in a mixture of an aqueous solution of sea s alt and red wine vinegar.

Koroneiki

Koroneiki variety is characterized by small size and rich aroma. More than half of all olive oil in Greece is produced from this variety, which is why it is called the "Queen of Olives".

Halkidiki

The variety grows on the Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece. After pitting, large olives are often stuffed using a variety of stuffing.

How to choose olives?

On the shelves of stores, the vast majority of fruits fall in canned form. When choosing, pay attention to the following points:

• Integrity of packaging. The product is sold in glass, tin cans, plastic packaging. There is no significant difference, but any container should not have visible damage. If there are dents on the tin, it is better to refuse such a purchase.
• Composition. You should read the data on the package and choose a product with fewer additives. It must be remembered that more preservatives are added to stuffed fruits to preserve the filling, such a product is less useful.
• Expiration date. Canned olives have a long shelf life, but when the shelf life expires, the product becomes dangerous to he alth.
• Size of olives. If the hostess is going to stuff the olives at home or use them to prepare a dish, size can matter. On the packaging, it can be found as a number indicating the number of fruits per 100 g. Moreover, the larger the number, the smaller the olives themselves.
• Olive color. If it is possible to see the color of the fruit through a glass jar or vacuum packaging, attention should be paid to its uniformity. Despite the variety of colors of olives, depending on the variety and degree of ripeness, one fruit should not be spotted, and all olives in one package should be the same shade.

Growing, care and harvesting

If a gardener decides to grow an olive tree on his site, he must remember that not all climatic conditions are suitable for the plant.If it is not possible to provide the necessary conditions in the open field, they are grown in enclosed greenhouse-type premises and at home. In this case, shrub and low-growing varieties are chosen.

The olive comes from the Mediterranean, it will not survive the frosty winter. The root system of a tree can withstand a short-term cooling down to -15 degrees, but prolonged frosts are fatal. The least frost-resistant flowers. Frosts during the flowering period will significantly affect the crop. The tree tolerates drought well, but does not like flooding, which is why it is important to provide good drainage. Does not tolerate olive tree and shading.

When caring for a tree, it is important to regularly trim the crown, otherwise you will not achieve a good harvest. Particular attention must be paid to the prevention and timely control of diseases and pests, the resistance of which the plant is rather weak.

Given the useful properties of olives, they can and should be given a place in your diet. No wonder the inhabitants of the Mediterranean, constantly eating olives, are famous for their longevity.

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