Generality
Olives in brine - also called table olives - are preserved foods of vegetable origin.
The main ingredient of this preparation is the fruit, or rather the drupe, of the tree commonly called olive or olive, known to botanists as Olea europaea.
Obviously, the edible portion of the olives is only the fleshy external one; in fact, the stone is not chewable, even if it is still possible to extract a little refined oil (called "pomace oil").
What many do not know is that raw olives are not suitable for consumption; in fact they have a very bitter taste and, in order to become palatable (in the form of olives in brine), they require a certain level of processing.
Nutritional Characteristics
Olives in brine are a very caloric food, with a prevalence of energy attributable to lipids, followed by carbohydrates and finally by proteins. The fatty acids that make up triglycerides are mainly unsaturated, simple carbohydrates (fructose) and peptides essentially of low biological value.
Nutritional Values Preserved Table Olives
The fibrous component of olives in brine is more than relevant, while cholesterol is totally absent. Although some values are not shown in the table, olives in brine should also be rich in phytosterols.
The breakdown of fatty acids provides, as anticipated, a prevalence of unsaturated ones. To be more precise, the most important group is that of monounsaturated, followed by saturated and finally polyunsaturated.
As for the mineral aspect, the olives in brine boast a fair amount of iron and calcium. Unfortunately, consequently to the method of conservation, even the sodium (contained in the cooking salt used for the brine) reaches levels to say the least. not very significant.
With regard to the vitamin profile, there is a fair content of vit. A (retinol equivalents) and, although not mentioned in the table, that of vit E (tocopherols) should also be high.
Olives in brine are a suitable food for most diets, although they should be taken with extreme moderation in case of overweight (due to the high energy intake) and arterial hypertension (due to the high sodium content); they do not present any contraindications in dyslipidemia (on the contrary, they help to balance the ratio of fatty acids), in lactose intolerance, in celiac disease and in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The average portion of olives in brine, if used as a substitute for oil seeds (group with which it is chemically more similar), is about 25-50g (65-135kcal).
Gastronomic Applications
Pickled olives are a frequently used food in Mediterranean recipes. As anticipated, these are fleshy fruits, but their taste is not as sweet as that typical of the aforementioned food category; on the contrary, these are highly savory and basically acidic foods.
There are black and green olives in brine (or intermediate shades, such as brown). The black olives are harvested at advanced ripeness, therefore they are characterized by a sweeter taste; on the contrary, green olives are more unripe and take advantage of a higher acidity.
Pickled olives can be used for various gastronomic purposes. They are one of the most consumed products in correspondence with the aperitif, both as an appetizer and as an ingredient in some cocktails. Furthermore, they represent a basic food for accompanying sauces for typically Mediterranean first courses; most of these also involve the " use of: preserved anchovies, capers, tomatoes (fresh or dried), oregano, garlic, other vegetables (peppers, aubergines, courgettes, etc.) and chilli.
Recipes with Black Olives
Video Recipes with Green Olives
Soft Pizza with Potatoes - Pizza with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes
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Various types of sauces can be made with olives in brine, for example: olive paté, mayonnaise with olives, chopped pickled vegetables, etc.
Furthermore, olives in brine frequently accompany various types of fish or meat dishes; a classic example is baked fish, in which olives contribute to flavor the cooking liquid.
The flavor of olives in brine, especially the slightly bitter ones, goes perfectly with wild fennel, garlic and orange peel.
Processing systems
The techniques used for the preparation of olives in brine are three: Sevillian system, Californian system and natural (black olives).
In the first two we use the soda to de-bitter the fruits (remove the bitter polyphenolic components), while in the third the chemical-physical diffusion bitter substances for a shorter or longer period of time.
The fermentation process of the three systems is quite uneven, as it varies according to the type of microorganism involved; basically, gods are involved in the first two lactic bacteria, while in the natural fermentation, gods take over yeasts.
Naturally pickled olives are the most consumed in Southern Italy. The system requires the collection of green or black fruits, after which they are selected, calibrated and fermented for a time ranging from 6 to 12 months, in a brine with a salt concentration between 8 and 14%.
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