Olives are delicious, in tapenades or salads, for example. Although they are not to everyone's taste. Where do these fruits come from?
Green olives are not yet ripe
Green and black olives come from the same species of tree. The green ones are just picked a few months earlier. This happens when they are still unripe. The olives also do not ripen further after that, unlike many other fruits. As a result, they have harder flesh and often a somewhat bitter taste.
Processing affects taste
The preparation process after picking can significantly affect the taste of olives. Olives sometimes lie in a salt bath for months, making them less bitter and saltier. Ripe olives are dark brown and turn black after picking due to the action of oxygen. They contain more oil than green olives and have a milder taste. By the way, there are more than 900 different species of olive trees and bushes, all of which produce their type of olives.
Olives fit within a healthy diet
Black olives are fattier than green olives. According to the Nutrition Center, there are 5.6 grams of fat in a 40-gram serving of black olives, compared to 4.4 grams in the same serving of green olives. By the way, this is mostly unsaturated fat, the type that fits within a healthy diet. So whichever of the two you prefer, feel free to have another olive. But be careful with containers that have extra oil on them.