653498 Sat Sep 19 14:53:27 -0700 2009 45 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 5042523 I've always been an olive lover. When I was a kid, I couldn't get enough of Lindsay black olives. Now that I'm older and have seen more of the world, I've discovered more olives to love. My current favorite is black cerignola olives. They're huge, meaty, and capture everything I like about olives--the right amount of saltiness and freshnesss. I also like green cerignola olives, which are buttery and subtle (compared to some green olives). Do you have a favorite kind of olive? What do you like most about it and how do you usually eat them? I usually snack on cerignolas plain or put them in tomato and mozzarella caprese salads drizzled with olive oil. So delicious.... Sat Sep 19 14:53:27 -0700 2009 255446 Gigi007 1 5042675 I have never liked olives, but while reading on a Chow board a few months ago, I saw where someones said they loved Castelvetrano olives. I bought some online and love them. The are the nega-olive as far as briny taste. They are smooth and buttery. I ate them straight from the jar and have used them in salads. Sat Sep 19 16:08:10 -0700 2009 5042523 69015 bookwormchef 2 5044598 I have hated olives my whole life until about ten years ago when I had my first marinated Kalamata olive, now I love them... Sun Sep 20 17:14:12 -0700 2009 5042675 24648 Sean 3 5044648 Another vote for kalamata's. I served them tonight in individual antipastas with hearts of palm, goat cheese, asparagus tips, and lupini beans, on roasted sweet red peppers, with a drizzle of balsamic and OO. Empty plates tell the story. Caution: I included chopped kalamatas one time in chicken salad, and they overwhelmed all other flavors. Delicious as they are, use them sparingly when they are a bit player in dishes. Sun Sep 20 17:34:39 -0700 2009 5044598 57170 Veggo 4 5048957 Another for kalmata :) Although sometimes, just regular green olives that aren't too strong can add a nice tangy counterpart to bread and cheese Tue Sep 22 09:09:36 -0700 2009 5044648 180623 Soop 5 5049776 Me too on Kalamata's! (oil cured) I used to hate them as a kid - even though I loved other kinds of olives, but quite recently I have re-discovered them...I love the oily-ness of them..and the strong salty taste....which goes well with table water crackers. They are also very good when baked/broiled. I like to scatter them atop chicken cutlets or fish along with halved grape tomatoes - and just grill or bake....they become crunchy and nuttier - and great paired with the sweetness of the carmelized grape tomatoes. yummm Tue Sep 22 12:47:54 -0700 2009 5048957 174753 NellyNel 2 5049032 Sounds like it's in the same family as picholine (which are a bit nutty), which is my favorite olive. Tue Sep 22 09:34:40 -0700 2009 5042675 13819 Karl S 2 5051382 I'm not a big olive fan myself (but I do like black olive tapenade) so I'll have to give the castelvetrano olives a try. Are they readily available at most grocers or do I need to look at a specialty grocer? Wed Sep 23 04:46:56 -0700 2009 5042675 71241 lynnlato 1 5044685 Don't know the type of olive, but I love the green ones stuffed with pickled garlic. And those stuffed with anchovies. Really I haven't met an olive that I haven't liked. I'll eat jars of them if I am not careful. My favorite dish to cook them in is a Moroccan chicken w/lemon w/olive dish that I found on epicurious. Sun Sep 20 17:55:16 -0700 2009 5042523 14495 viperlush 2 5048962 Oh! Bandarillos are great! Anchovies wrapped around olives... wow I miss them Tue Sep 22 09:10:37 -0700 2009 5044685 180623 Soop 1 5045188 picholine. Sun Sep 20 23:23:20 -0700 2009 5042523 74905 jaykayen 2 5045996 me, too - picholine are just amazing!! I like kalamatas, too... Mon Sep 21 09:26:44 -0700 2009 5045188 124908 jeanmarieok 3 5049683 Ditto here - picholine for green, kalamata for black. Tue Sep 22 12:25:03 -0700 2009 5045996 14386 BobB 4 5051393 I can't get just picholines at the olive bar, so I am one of those people who pick thru the mixed olives to the get the ones I want. Wed Sep 23 05:01:25 -0700 2009 5049683 124908 jeanmarieok 5 5063450 Whole Foods usually has excellent picholines. Mon Sep 28 06:41:14 -0700 2009 5051393 14386 BobB 6 5064575 Picholine, hands down. I love all olives, but I can eat the small, little green picholine by the bucketful... Mon Sep 28 12:46:59 -0700 2009 5063450 135338 mcap 1 5047530 Turkish! Mon Sep 21 17:37:22 -0700 2009 5042523 1110504 sedimental 2 5052213 Especially the ones stuffed with pickled lemon. Wed Sep 23 09:48:43 -0700 2009 5047530 13709 buttertart 1 5048938 Of the easily obtainable ones, I like kalamata - but my all-time favourite ones are the very bitter cracked ones you get in markets in Mallorca Tue Sep 22 09:05:52 -0700 2009 5042523 154102 Harters 1 5049800 I really like Spanish olives the best. I received a jar of arbequina, empeltre and manzanilla olives from La Tienda at Christmas last year and they didn't last 'til New Year's. If I had to pick one it would be the tiny, nutty flavored arbequinas. Tue Sep 22 12:55:14 -0700 2009 5042523 18385 CDouglas 1 5049901 I like black cerignola and alphonso for eating and nicoise for salads. Calmata for greek salads. Tue Sep 22 13:28:40 -0700 2009 5042523 13523 michelley 1 5050322 Alphonsos, for a big, meaty one. Kalamatas, the biggest ones that I can afford, for every day. I guess I'm not much of a green olive person, but I do like Manzanillas and Arbequinas. But here's a real scoop -- I love the Organic Dried Black Olives from Olivico, and get this, they are cured WITHOUT SALT. Like Tuscan bread, it takes some getting used to, but after just a couple, I came to appreciate that olives are fruit, and have their own ageless perfection with nothing added. Tue Sep 22 15:38:07 -0700 2009 5042523 16906 pitterpatter 1 5050455 I haven't met too many olives that i didn't love. I usually keep containers of pitted kalamatas and regular green salad olives in the fridge for every day. I like the little nicoise olives as well. If the spiced olives count, I enjoyed a spicy tunisian one I found at a local market a while back. For eating as is, I discovered Olive and Olives lemon-stuffed olives this past year and I am in love with them. I can also eat the almond stuffed olives like they are going out of style. Tue Sep 22 16:28:14 -0700 2009 5042523 153184 im_nomad 2 5050467 im_nomad, where do get your Olive and Olives lemon-stuffed olives? I love the combination of green olives and lemon (I'm assuming the olives you're talking about are green). Thanks. P.S. I'm happy to see that I'm in good company. So many olives, so little time... Tue Sep 22 16:36:08 -0700 2009 5050455 255446 Gigi007 3 5050911 I got mine right in the store, but I think they do mail order: http://www.oliveolives.com/en/flavours/pantry.html There are other brands of lemon stuffed olives out there too. Oro Verde is also good (I think that's the name) Tue Sep 22 19:35:06 -0700 2009 5050467 153184 im_nomad 4 5050920 Thanks very much, im_nomad. I think I'm going to turn into an olive. I eat so many of them! Tue Sep 22 19:40:12 -0700 2009 5050911 255446 Gigi007 1 5051308 Anchovie stuffed olives...YUM!! Wed Sep 23 03:05:05 -0700 2009 5042523 154476 Lindseyup67 1 5051473 I was never a big olive fan until I went to the South of France and tried the olives in Les Baux. They were smaller and not too salty. I enjoyed those olives every day we were there and brought home a jar of them but somehow they didn't taste the same. Maybe the stunning scenery and a cold glass of rose made them taste better! http://www.lesbauxdeprovence.com/baux-of-provence/local-produce-oliv-oil-wine/baux-de-provence-aoc-oil-and-olives.html Wed Sep 23 05:50:36 -0700 2009 5042523 101907 ms. clicquot 2 5051722 I have to say actually, that wine probably would. How about a test? If you can find a deli with non-pitted olives (it's a little more work, but generally pitted olives are not as flavoursome) and a nice fresh, cold white? Something soft like a Sauvignon Blanc? Wed Sep 23 07:36:14 -0700 2009 5051473 180623 Soop 1 5052172 Mmmm, I love olives. I use kalamata alot in cooking, and one of my favorite snack are the canned extra large black olives, stuffed with cream cheese. But my favorite olives are those really oily, wrinkly black ones, I don't know the name. Wed Sep 23 09:38:38 -0700 2009 5042523 212582 schrutefarms 2 5052218 The oily, wrinkly black olives you're talking about might be Moroccan. I too like snacking on canned large black olives, but since I discovered black cerignolas, I've developed a more expensive, but delicious habit! :) Wed Sep 23 09:49:38 -0700 2009 5052172 255446 Gigi007 3 5052617 They look a bit like small prunes. Wed Sep 23 11:36:27 -0700 2009 5052218 212582 schrutefarms 4 5052645 Like these?: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3339/3630804448_dafcf5968e.jpg Wed Sep 23 11:43:22 -0700 2009 5052617 255446 Gigi007 5 5052732 Wow those look good. We have had fun threads about the etiquette of olive pit disposal, and in my experience those with really confident or really bad table manners get the lion's share. Wed Sep 23 12:06:02 -0700 2009 5052645 57170 Veggo 6 5052779 So chipmunks are etiquette experts too? LOL. Those threads sound interesting. Graceful disposal of olive pits can be a challenge. Without getting too graphic, it's possible to nibble on some kinds of olives and get rid of the pit almost without anyone noticing. And olive hogging is just bad form--a real sign of bad manners. I'll admit that olives are so addictive that I sometimes (OK, frequently) pig out on them when I'm by myself, but when I'm eating or drinking w/ others (I love a good glass of wine, yummy cheese plate, and olives on the side), I try to behave. The best is when the other person or people don't like olives. More for me! :) Wed Sep 23 12:21:02 -0700 2009 5052732 255446 Gigi007 7 5052800 At a very early age my parents told me to swallow olive pits. I learned years later that I was an unplanned child. Wed Sep 23 12:28:57 -0700 2009 5052779 57170 Veggo 8 5053727 Haha, that explains a lot! Wed Sep 23 18:05:42 -0700 2009 5052800 255446 Gigi007 7 5054352 When I share anything with my girlfriend, I mentally divide the olives (or whatever) as I might eat faster than her. But I always leave her her half. Thu Sep 24 02:31:51 -0700 2009 5052779 180623 Soop 6 5053188 I have a couple of Portuguese olive dishes that have a section for you to put the pits in. I love them but only use them with intimates. Wed Sep 23 14:32:30 -0700 2009 5052732 13709 buttertart 5 5052750 Yes! Those are the ones! Wed Sep 23 12:12:49 -0700 2009 5052645 212582 schrutefarms 6 5052755 Sweet. When you said, they looked like little prunes, I was pretty sure that you were talking about Moroccan oil-cured olives. Delicious little wrinkly things... Wed Sep 23 12:14:48 -0700 2009 5052750 255446 Gigi007 1 5053741 More olive photos. These are my favorite--black cerignola olives from la bella Italia: http://www.delallo.com/files/DLBlckBellaDiCern17045.jpg I picked some up this evening along with some lemon-marinated green Sevillana olives from that dangerous market--Dean & DeLuca. They're pretty tasty too. Wed Sep 23 18:10:24 -0700 2009 5042523 255446 Gigi007 1 5054447 Black or green cerignola. Thu Sep 24 05:18:05 -0700 2009 5042523 253154 Fritter 1 5063484 I got some olives stuffed with chiles on Saturday. Each one of them has a chile. I can handle hot food, and I figure no-one's going to put inedibly hot chiles in there, right? Wrong. Bought tears to my eyes. Mon Sep 28 06:54:21 -0700 2009 5042523 180623 Soop 2 5063540 Soop If they were in jar, I bet they were Turkish Cypriot - I've made that mistake before, as well. J Mon Sep 28 07:16:04 -0700 2009 5063484 154102 Harters 3 5063735 Well, that's the wierdest thing; they were fresh-typed ones in a plastic tub. Like the kind you'd take on a picnic. I chose them over the usual feta etc accompanied ones, but I bet I'm not the only one to be surprised! With the chile removed they're nice enough, but I do have a small tub full of chiles I probably won't use. Incidentally, they have that grassy taste reminicent of birdseyes, although I don't think I'd be here now if I'd chewed on one of them. Perhaps a milder relative though? Mon Sep 28 08:27:13 -0700 2009 5063540 180623 Soop