Classification of table olives

Black Olives

Black olives are fully ripened fruits that must be handled tenderly because of their thin elastic skin. Harvested late in the season, the flesh is firm with reduced levels of Oleuropein.

Treated natural black olives are entwined with the Mediterranean diet. Tasteful with distinctive flavor and aroma, black olives are one of the healthier choices. Oil extracted from black fully ripe olives gives distinctive sweet oil with low bitterness taste favored by many consumers around the globe.

Green Olives

The Egyptian Local Varieties of green olives are big sized olives that are mainly cultivated in Arish, Fayium and Ismailia & Alexandria Desert Roads.

Their shape is slightly curved with a strong crunchy flesh.

Picked early in August and September to gain from the trees to trap all the excellent quality and flavor. It has a specialized taste for the more discerning plates.

Kalamata Olives

It has been the most prized natural food for centuries. Naturally ripened on the tree, its color is a combination of black and purple. Famous and recognizable by the olive lovers for its unique shape.A strong, juicy taste with a hint of fruit flavor.

Hand picked with the traditional way, it maintains all the characteristics of the variety. Worldwide it is the most famous Greek variety planted in the Egyptian virgin soil and it gives a fine Mediterranean taste.

Table olive processing

1. Sizing-grading and sorting of fresh olives

• - Removal of over-small fruit, leaves and twigs and other extraneous matter.
• - Separation by variety, color and size

2. Washing of fresh olives

• - By immersion of the olives or by pressurized circulation of potable water.

3. Processing of treated olives

• - Preparation of the alkaline solution for removing the bitterness of the olives (debittering).
• - Removal of the bitterness of the olives by placing them in an alkaline solution at varying concentrations depending on the variety, degree of fruit ripeness and ambient temperature.
• - Elimination of residual lye by successive washes, the number and duration of which vary according to the system used.
• - Brine preparation.
• - Brine placement and complete or partial fermentation.
• - Brine preservation.
• - Sorting to remove any defective fruit; size grading.
• - Stoning, stuffing or preparation of other styles according to the trade preparation.
• - Olive storage prior to packing.
• - Packing.
• - Treatment to ensure the keeping properties of the packed product.
• - Storage of the packed product.

4. Processing of natural olives

• - Fruit washing.
• - Brine preparation.
• - Brine placement and complete or partial fermentation.
• - Brine preservation.
• - Sorting and size grading.
• - Stoning, stuffing or preparation of other styles according to the trade preparation.
• - Packing.
• - Treatment to ensure the keeping properties of the packed product.
• - Storage of the packed product.

5. Processing of dehydrated and/or shriveled olives

• - Fruit washing.
• - Blanching, or not, of the olives.
• - Removal of the natural bitterness, or not, in a mild alkaline lye.
• - Partial dehydration which, depending on the trade preparation, may be done by arranging the olives in alternate layers with dry salt in special crates or tanks and rotating the olives in crates, or by heating, or by both processes.
• - Sorting and size grading.
• - Complete dehydration.
• - Packing.
• - Storage of the packed product.

6. Processing of olives darkened by oxidation

• - Fruit washing.
• - Brine preparation.
• - Brine placement and partial or no fermentation.
• - Preservation in brine or any other solution.
• - Sorting and size grading.
• - Oxidation in an alkaline medium.
• - Stoning, stuffing or preparation of other styles according to the trade preparation.
• - Packing.
• - Sterilization.
• - Storage of the packed product.

Olive Processing

The Slow Way - to cure Green Table Olives

There are numerous variations to be found on brine curing green olives, but this is by far the simplest and best for processing green olives. Choose this method if you are not in a hurry to process all your olives.

First, wash the olives to remove any dust, twigs and leaves, discarding any that have been damaged or bruised. Split or cut them only if you're in a hurry to get them done. Work out the amount of salt required. Do this according to the volume of water, not the total volume of the container. For every 3L of water, you will need 250g of salt. Dissolve the salt in the container first, add the olives, top up with fresh water and stir around so the salt is evenly distributed.

In the barrel a plastic colander to be inserted under the lid to keep all the olives submerged. The 15L of water require 1.25kg of salt. Netting, like that used to protect fruit trees can also be used to keep the olives in a bundle.

Change the brine every 2 weeks until the olives sink by themselves and monthly thereafter. Adding flavors to the brine is a waste of time, and your olives are ready when you're happy with how they taste.

The presence of a white foam on top is not cause for alarm as this is the bitterness leaching from the olives. Salt is a preservative, but good hygiene is always important. Check and throw out any that go soft. Unlike apples, one soft one doesn't harm the others.

At some point, when your olives are 'perfect' you may want to store some in jars for the long term. (In the brine, they'll continue to process, eventually going soft if you haven't eaten them all). Wash cured olives and allow to dry. Pack into jars and top with olive oil, ensuring there are no air bubbles.

The Fast Way - to Process Green Table Olives in 7 days

First, select lovely firm green olives without bruises or damage and give them a wash in fresh water. Next, with the base of a thick glass bottle, hit each olive and split it so the pit can be removed. Place pitted olives in a plastic tub or container and fill it with fresh water so that all the olives are submerged and will remain that way. Keeping the olives under the water is the most important thing. Don’t use anything made of metal or wood - use plastic or glass only.

If you don't have a container specially designed for keeping olives, your locally deli may give you one. Alternatively you could invert a plastic collander in a tub, or bundle the olives in some open fruit tree net and weight them down with a heavy glass bowl or a smaller container of water. The options are too varied to mention, but hopefully we've given you some ideas.

Finally, the water in this container must be emptying and refilled twice daily, for 7 days. On the 8th day, refill with brine (250g / 3L of water) and soak for 24 hours. After this time, your olives should be ready to eat. Serve with dried herbs like oregano, a small amount of crushed garlic, a pinch of fennel seeds, a pinch of dried chilli flakes and a drizzle of olive oil.

To store long term: strain and paper-towel dry the olives, pack into sterile jars and cover with a light olive oil.

The Best Way to Process Black Olives

Black olives are simply riper olives than green and as such, they don't take as long. They can be cured in the brine, or just packed between layers of salt and covered until ready. Use 20% of the fruit weight in salt. It can take as little as week or two or as long as a month or two for the olives to shrivel and dehydrate. To store, wash off the salt and allow olives to dry. Place in jars and cover with olive oil.