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Black Olives are olives that have been left on the tree to mature and ripen. They are usually picked late in the year, November to December, sometimes into January. Black is just a generic term. They will seldom be absolutely jet black. You will see shades of deep purple, black, reddish-brown or brown. Many will even be hues of dark purples or deep olive greens that wouldn't be out of place on army camouflage.

Black Olives don't need to be cured, as green olives do. They will just be brined or salted to season and pickle them. They do, though, have to be pickled longer than green olives, because they didn't have the curing process. They are usually ready to eat or package 70 days after harvest.

They have a sweeter, fuller flavour than green olives, though they lack the tartness and zing. Their texture will be softer. They can't be mechanically pitted, as they are too soft to stand up to the machines, so they are almost always sold with the pit still in.

They are sold in jars or tins.

These are very different from the Californian Black Olives sold in North America.

Cooking Tips
Black Olives are the olives most often used to make tapenade.

Also called:

See Also:

Blond Olives, Californian Black Olives

Other entries for:

Black Olives
Aleppo Olives, Alphonso Olives, Black Gaeta Olives, Californian Black Olives, Conservolea Olives, Olives Noires de la Vallée des Baux de Provence, Tailladées Olives

Other entries for:

Olives
Barnea Olives, Bella di Cerignola Olives, Blond Olives, Brine-Cured Olives, Cracked Olives, Dry-Cured Olives, Feral Olives, Fresh-Water Cured Olives, Greek Olives, Green Olives, Italian Olives, Lye-Cured Olives, Oil-Cured Olives, Oil Olives, Olive Juice, Olive Sizes, Pendolino Olives, Pidiccuddara Olives, Raw Olives, Spanish Olives, Stuffed Olives, Table Olives

Other entries for:

Fruit
Bananas, Bletting, Candied Fruit, Citrus Fruit, Dried Fruit, Drupes, Hard Fruit, Rhubarb, Soft Fruit