In depth: olives

Eaten on their own, tossed through salads or mashed into a dressing, olives are a storecupboard staple – but which type is the best for the job?

The varieties

Kalamata The slightly bitter, salty flavour goes well with fresh, crisp ingredients like cucumber. The olive of choice for a Greek salad.

Nocellara del Belice These Sicilian favourites have a mild flavour and are perfect for serving as a bar snack.

Gordal Big, meaty and green, these are the tapas olives of choice in southern Spain. Because of their size, they’re often available in stuffed varieties.

Niçoise These southern French olives are used to make tapenade. They can be eaten on their own, but they work best as a flavourboosting cooking ingredient.

Beldi Salted and dried, these North African olives pack an astringent punch of flavour that pairs well with chicken and lamb.

What’s inside?

Pitted olives are easier to eat – and buying them might save you a job in the kitchen – but unpitted olives are meatier with a more complex flavour. This is due to the fact that, once pitted, the salting and brining process penetrates from the inside, making olives softer and saltier. Our verdict for the best flavour? Buy unpitted, then pit them yourself.

Pitting

Don’t have an olive pitter? Squash an olive with the flat blade of a large knife or give it a thump with a heavy object, like a pestle. The olive will split and expose the stone, which you can then prise out.

Colour

This reflects when the olive was picked. Green olives are picked before they ripen, while black olives are picked when ripe.