Curing Olives
Information on the Process of Curing Olives
That deliciously salty and tongue tingling flavor delivered by the small, spherical fruit is the result of brining, or curing, olives. In their natural state, this Mediterranean native delight is quite inedible. While the process of curing olives is a lengthy one that many people would not care to indulge in on their own, it is an interesting story as to how olives reach our supermarket shelves.
The olive tree is an ancient one; mentioned in the Bible in early days when the dove returned to Noah’s ark with a leaf from the olive tree in its beak. The tree is considered as an evergreen, and can reach a height of 50 feet tall if allowed to grow without pruning. Their life span is incredible; an amazing 500 years. Numerous cultivars have been developed over the years, with the most popular commercial varieties including the Manzanillo and the Mission varieties.
Several methods of curing olives can be used; some, such as the traditional, old tried and true recipes, can be quite a lengthy process. Some people have undertaken the full task of propagating the trees, harvesting the fruit and curing olives on their own. Others, who wish to give the brining process a try but do not have the trees, may obtain olives through a mail order. For others, the equipment, time and amount of olives needed make purchasing the ready made ones in grocery stores more desirable.
Curing olives can be accomplished by using water, salt, a salt brine or a lye brine. Most of the processes require that the fruit be “wounded”; a cut made on each side of the olive without penetrating the pit to remove the bitter flavor during the brining.
**Water curing is ideal for larger green olives, and involves soaking olives in cold water for about a month; changing water daily. Then, from time to time, the fruit should be sampled, and when the bitterness is gone, the olives are ready to eat.
**Dry curing, or salt curing is good for Mission, Kalamata and Ascalano fruit. This method involves packing fruit in salt for around one month, then dipping into boiling water, dried and given another salt bath for another month before they are edible.
**Salt Brining is a mixture of salt and water into which the fruit is placed; curing olives in this manner takes six weeks or more. The olives are then placed in jars along with brine, vinegar and olive oil.
Lye Curing can be a dangerous method, as lye will burn the skin. A food grade lye is necessary. Olives are soaked in a water/lye solution for 3 days, with multiple daily water changes. After this step, the olives are soaked in a light salt brine.
With knowledge of the process for curing olives, it is easy to understand why it is easier for many to purchase ready to eat varieties. For some, however, curing olives is a way to sample a taste of the old world.