Tag: Curing olives

Did you know that olives are technically a stone fruit, similar to peaches? However, unlike other fruits, is eating raw olives good for you? The truth is that eating an olive right off the tree is an intensely unpleasant and bitter experience.

While the olive tree, *Olea europaea*, has been cultivated for over 7,000 years, its fruit is one of the few that cannot be eaten directly from the tree due to an overwhelming bitterness. This bitterness, caused by the compound oleuropein, is a natural defense mechanism against pests and must be removed through a careful curing process to make the olives palatable.

Originating over 6,000 years ago in the Mediterranean, the curing of olives is an ancient tradition necessary to make the naturally bitter fruit palatable. This process leads many to ask, "Do olives count as a fermented food?", with the surprising answer depending entirely on how they are prepared, as several different methods exist.

Did you know that fresh olives plucked from a tree are inedibly bitter due to a compound called oleuropein? To remove this bitterness, olives must undergo a curing process, which typically involves salt. This leads many to question: **can you get olives without sodium?**

A study published in *PMC* highlights that table olives and olive oil are significant components of the Mediterranean diet, noted for their health benefits. But can this staple fit into a paleo lifestyle? The answer to 'Are olives paleo?' is yes, but the devil is in the details, specifically how they are prepared.