Smart Fuel: Olives
In that Mediterranean world which begat Western civilization, the olive enjoyed special prominence beyond its culinary properties. Roman aristocracy thought good health depended on two things: wine within, and (olive) oil without. The olive branch was the symbol of peace, and the fruit itself an emblem of wealth and prosperity. Today, the oil extracted from olives is the main draw for many – it figures crucially in Italian, Greek, and Northern African cooking, and it’s the basis for many marinades, dressings, and sauces. As Primal Blueprinters, olive oil is one of the best fats we can use, but let’s not forget about the source. Whether as snack, spread, or salad ingredient, we need to start recognizing the power and versatility of the olive itself.
Black or Green?
The color of the olive corresponds to the ripeness of the fruit when picked. That’s it. Green olives are picked before ripening, and black olives are picked while ripe. And because raw olives are mostly inedible, both varieties normally undergo some form of curing process, either by being packed in salt, brined, pickled, or soaked in oil (or even just water) before being eaten. Generally, green olives are denser, firmer, and more bitter than black olives. The taste and texture of any olive, however, ultimately depend on the method and duration of curation. Any olive – even a green one – will grow softer in a brine. I suppose you could think about it like this: green olives are often used as stand-alone snacks, while black olives are commonly used in cooking, on pizzas, and in salads. Of course, olives can be used in a number of ways (please share your faves!), whatever the color, but those are the usual respective uses for green and black olives.
Nutrients
As you might imagine, the health benefits of the olive are pretty much identical to its oil. You already know about the fantastic amounts of monounsaturated fat, but what about the nutrients? Olives are packed with iron and copper, and they’re a Primal friendly source of dietary fiber. They’re also rich in vitamin E – a noted antioxidant – and anti-inflammatory polyphenols and flavonoids. And really, you can’t get much more virgin than the delicate flesh of the whole, unpressed olive in all its purity. As for the green versus black question, there are no nutritional differences between the two.
Oh, and cured olives are pretty salty, so be aware of sodium content.
Recipes
The thing about olives is that they’re versatile. They pair well with martinis, wine, and cheese. They are used in Greek, Italian, Mexican, and even Chinese (as a restorative soup) cuisine. They can be blended with spices to form dips, or chopped finely to adorn salads and pizzas.
Olive Tapenade
This can be as basic or as complex as you want. Tapenade is the perfect recipe for parties: it’s easy to make large batches and it’s hard to mess up. People will marvel at your culinary skills, when all you did was throw some stuff in a food processor and hit “On.” The basic recipe is as follows:
1 cup cured black olives, pitted
3 canned anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 garlic cloves, peeled
extra virgin olive oil
To do it old school, mash up the garlic, olives, anchovy, and capers with a mortar and pestle, salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle in olive oil until the desired creaminess is achieved. Serve with vegetables for dipping (or crusty bread for your non-Primal friends).
Or, you could toss everything in a food processor and blend away. Feel free to add extra ingredients. Fresh herbs, like basil, parsley, and thyme, are frequently added to tapenades, and you can experiment with adding lemon juice, hot peppers, nuts, or even figs to your custom recipe.
Steak With Olives
Any steak works with this recipe. I like the grass-fed ribeye, personally, but you can use any piece of meat. The real star is the olive sauce. Before you make that, though, cook your steak to the desired doneness and set aside.
1/2 cup cured black olives, pitted
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Heat the pepper flakes and garlic in the oil over medium heat, using the same pan you used to cook the steak. Stir until golden. Add the olives and cook for 2 minutes. Remove and add the parsley. Serve over the steak.
Or, if you’re feeling lazy, just grab a jar of assorted olives and feast away.
Darwin Bell, funadium, Dan Shouse, Another Pint Please…, bloggyboulga Flickr Photos (CC)
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Posted By: Worker Bee
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You know, I honestly thought that green olives and black olives were two different types of olives!
Thanks for the recipes, I look forward to trying them out!
Kalamata olives all the way. My two-year-old can’t get enough of them!
You know what? This is one of my favorites that has fallen out of my diet. Sure I use plenty of olive oil but I miss my green olives. I love green olives. Just added them to the shopping list for this week!
I love olives. For holidays my mom would always make this big tray of olives, ham pieces, and cheese on a toothpick as a snack for everybody that dropped in for holiday visit, it was pretty good..mmmm!
I was in the same boat as Benjamin. Always thought green olives grew from green olive branches, and black olives grew from black ones, or something of the sort. The more you know…!
I’m definitely going to try the tapenade tonight! … Maybe I’ll pair it with the eggplant pizza recipe you posted previously: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/10-primal-meals-in-15-minutes-or-less/
As far as I’m concerned, the only good use of black olives is sticking them on your fingers. Can’t stand the flavor!
Trader Joe’s green olives stuffed with garlic are killer. (Both figuratively, and literally when you breathe on people after eating them.)
Make sure you are NOT getting US olives! Greek olives are normally great. Once in a while you can find olives from other countries that are great (but not all). I have never had a good California olive, and see no reason to believe I ever will.
If you (like dragonmamma) don’t like black olives I’ll bet it because you have only had the garbage that passes for an olive in the US, and not a real olive. There is a big difference. I could never stand olives either, and if forced would eat one green olive. Then I went to Spain and discovered how olives should be. (Actually I discovered how good should be in general)
Love all kinds of olives. And I often make my own olive dips too. Steak and olives, yum!
You’re probably right, Henry. My sole experience with black olives is from a can; I think the brand is Oberti? that you see in most of the chain stores.
I’ve never been a big fan of olives, but hey, I’m gonna try them in my salad because my pallet has definitely changed over the years.
Thanks for the post!
All the Best,
Andrew R
For all you Paleo followers: Dr. Loren Cordain will be speaking in/near Chicago next week Nov 18/19 details at: http://www.nutrition4health.org/.
If you are from a city with a good international food store you can probably get some pretty awesome olives.
There is an international food store in Columbia, MO that always has out free samples of the various olives they are selling.
Que delicioso!
I just went to a new market close by that had a great looking olive bar. I love olives, especially with garlic. The recipe for the steak sounds great.
I too had no idea that black olives were a riper version of green olives. Unfortunately I’m not the greatest fan of them but some of these rceipes might help me to get them into my diet. In particular the steak with olives recipe looks scrumptious.
I love all kinds of olives and am happy to have broke free of the culturally instilled erroneous fear that they are too fatty to eat very many of them. Now that I purposely include high fat foods in my diet, olives and their oil are a staple.
I love the looks and questions I get from co-workers when I break out my salad loaded with olives, feta, and avocado and then I drown it all in olive oil dressing. One ’round’ lady told me that I’m gonna get fat eating like that. I wasn’t sure how to tactfully answer her. When I realized she was eating a bagel smothered in cheez whiz I decided it wasn’t worth my effort to try.
So, go ahead and indulge in the olives! They are lovely! Primal! Nourishing! Exotic! Full of flavor! And they make others wonder how you can eat like that and stay so fit!
Mmmmmm I’m getting hungry! That picture of the steak is incredibly mouth watering!
I agree that the canned variety barely qualifies as an olive. The ones sold at the deli are the best.
Don’t we worry about high amounts of sodium in our diets?
I soak the olives in water for a few days to get some of the sodium out of it.
i am just wondering as i’m having a disagreement with my boyfriend if there is any difference between a green olive and a kalamata olive? I know there is a ripening process involved but i think i’m right when saying they are not related whatsoever!!!! Can someone tell me if they are all grown on the same tree? i won’t sleep till i have an answer just to prove him wrong….Thankyou!!!
Another interesting article from your blog
When will it stop….hopefully never