Green or black, the olive is a food icon of Italy. Wherever you travel in Italy, there are vistas of verdant olive groves, serried ranks of ancient trees producing olives of all shapes, sizes and flavours, which make their way into the nation’s cuisine. There are two basic types of olive – green and black – and a myriad of different varieties and presentations to choose from. This month we have kept it simple and opted for a single variety, the green Nocellara olive. When buying green olives, you should look for a smooth appearance, even colour, glossy texture and firm attachment to the stone, and these generously-sized beauties are a fine example. The best Nocellara olives come from Belice and are cured according to the Castelvetrano method, which soaks them in brine for 10-14 days before storing to preserve their colour.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
REAL OLIVE CO ORGANIC NOCELLARA DEL BELICE