While the taste of olives may take some getting used to, once you have acquired a taste for olives, it quickly becomes something that you always have close at hand in the kitchen.

Olives have a long history and have been consumed by humans for more than 5000 years, starting in Crete. Since then, people in Egypt, Greece, the Mediterranean and Palestine have quickly become involved in the cultivation of olives.

There are many references to olives in ancient history, including mentions in the Bible, depictions in Egyptian art and appearances in Greek mythology. For ages olives have been a source of food, fuel, and medicine for countless civilizations, and even the olive tree has found use in the form of lumber material.

The olive also symbolizes wisdom and peace; a dove with an olive branch in its beak is a universal symbol of peace. Since 3000 BC, people have produced and consumed olive oil. Freshly picked olives cannot be eaten without first being processed, as their skin contains a chemical known as oleuropein, which gives it a bitter  taste.

There are various methods of processing olives, and these methods differ according to the type of olive, region and the desired final taste, texture and color. Olives are harvested in the fall, and some are picked while still unripe and green in color, while others are picked only when fully ripe and have turned black in color.

Not all black olives are black when they were harvested, however, and certain methods of processing olives involve exposing green, unripe olives to the air, which darkens their skin color through oxidation. The final color of olive oil is not only determined by the color of the olives used to produce it, but is also determined by the methods used to process it, which may include fermentation or curing the olives in oil, brine, salt, or water.

Through processing, olives may become purple, black, brown, red, or yellow in color and the texture of their skin may also change, becoming either shriveled and wrinkled or smooth and shiny.

Kalamata, Nyon, Cerignola, Nicoise, Sevillano, Picholine, and Manzanilla are some of the many types of olive that are available. Besides variations in size, color and texture, olive flavors also differ widely, ranging from sour to smoky, bitter to acidic.

Olives can often be found in the pitted form as well. Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy, and Morocco number among the main producers of olives today. Olives, which contain vitamin E, flavonoids, poluphenols, and monounsaturated fats, are generally considered to be a healthy form of food, and also possess anti-inflammatory properties. They also provide protection against heart related diseases and are good for the health of the gastrointestinal tract.

olive taste, olive varieties, olives in cooking

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Italian crostini is a round bread toast. The bread is sliced and then toasted in an oven, and often garnished with various different toppings. Crostini is viewed by some as a mild garlic toast. It is an ideal accompaniment to antipasto, salads, and thick soups. It is sometimes served as an hors d’oeuvre for the main course. You can easily make this Italian toast yourself in just a few minutes. It is quick and easy to make, and remarkably
good tasting especially if you use fresh ingredients.

Use a fresh baked French baguette loaf of bread, Italian bread loaf, or even a sourdough fresh baked loaf. Cut the loaf of bread into half inch thick slices. Using a basting brush, brush both sides of each bread slice lightly with extra-virgin olive oil. Preheat the oven to 375°. Use a large baking sheet and arrange bread slices in a single layer. Toast until golden brown. You will need to turn the bread slices over so that they are equally crisp about 2 1/2 to three minutes for each side. Take care not ot burn the crostini. While the bread is still warm, rub one side of each slice with baked garlic clove. ( A baked garlic clove has the consistency of a paste). If you dont want to use baked garlic cloves, you can peel 3 fresh garlic cloves, press them through a garlic press, and saute the pressed garlic for about 2 minutes in a pan on low heat. Use about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to saute the garlic.

There are numerous toppings that you can use depending upon your personal taste. You can use a vegetable peeler and thin slice Parmesan cheese and then drizzle the toast and cheese with a fine quality olive oil. Mushrooms that have been thin sliced and marinated in a vinaigrette dressing can also be used as a topping. Any pickled olives such as Kalamata olives can also be diced and added to a crostini topping. A mixture of diced, red ripe tomatoes, fresh minced basil leaves, and mozzarella cheese are also popular as a crostini topping. Numerous other herbs can also be added fresh rosemary, sea salt, fresh ground black peppercorns also make fine editions.

Any number of mild cheeses can be grated, sprinkled over the toast. Melt the cheese by placing the baking pan back in the oven for a minute or two. Serve while hot.

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Italian Bread Homestyle
Makes 12 servings You will need:
1 cup of water
2 tbs water (These two amounts of water will need to be divided)
3½ cups all purpose flour  (This amount will need to be divided)
¼ oz active dry yeast (or 1 equivalent pack)
1 tsp sugar
¾ tsp cornmeal
1 egg

Italian home made bread

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Bruschetta with Roasted Peppers

4 yellow peppers
4 red peppers
sea salt
ground black pepper
2 peeled cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch basil, minced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 loaf day-old Italian cornmeal bread cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 lb. mild goat cheese

Roast the peppers on a grill or under the broiler stirring occasionally until charred on all sides: While the peppers are hot, peel the skins and remove the seeds. Cut the peppers into strips and combine with salt, basil, garlic, and olive oil. Top the cornmeal bread with the roasted peppers and drizzle with half of the remaining dressing. Top with the crumbled cheese and then drizzle the rest of the dressing.

Makes about 8 servings

roasted peppers bruschetta

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Pa Amb Tomaquet: Babie’s First Meal

Catalonian bread is the first “table food” given to babies after mother’s milk in Spain. A thick slice of the bread is rubbed with cloves of garlic. Then tomato is cupped in the hand and worn down to the skin by rubbing it across the bread. Then dipped in olive oil and fed to baby. This is a simple yet delicious recipe that remains a part of the diet for the life of Spaniards.

Pa Amb Tomaquet, literally translated as “bread with tomato”, is served in Catalonian restaurants with various meats, fish or vegetables. Tomato, garlic, olive oil and salt are usually pre-made to allow the flavors to blend together. Pa Amb Tomaquet can be topped with olives or anchovies depending on the recipe.

Pa Amb Tomaquet

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Italian Apulian Bruschetta

1 Round loaf Italian bread sliced in half
30 cherry tomatoes sliced in half
sea salt
12 leaves basil
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

After preheating the oven to 350 degrees, bake the bread for 20 minutes until golden brown being careful not to burn it. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool. Toss the tomatoes with salt, basil, and olive oil. Place the tomatoes over the bread and drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Serve immediately.

Apulian Bruschetta

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Parmesan Asiago Spread
Makes 12 servings

3/4 cup garlic-infused balsamic vinegar 
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated asiago cheese 
12 slices Italian bread about 3/4 inch thick

Combine garlic-infused balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil on a plate with a lip. Add parmesan cheese and asaigo cheese. Mix with a fork. Spread mixture onto slices of Italian bread and place in broiler for 2 minutes.

Can also be used as dip for bread or crackers.

Parmesan Asiago Spread

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Focaccia is a flat Italian bread that is typically topped with herbs, olive oil, and various cheeses. Modern pizza is a relative of focaccia. With time, focaccia has evolved to meet the tastes of those preparing it. Depending on the region, you may find focaccia that bears no resemblance to the original flatbread it once was.

Focaccia goes by many different names. In Argentina it is called “Fugazza”, “Foisse” in Burgundy, and “Fougasse” in France. Focaccia is basically a mixture of water, salt, sugar, yeast, and flour. Some prefer to add things to the dough before baking such as oregano, sage, rosemary, or other herbs. Others prefer to wait until after the dough is baked and top it with toppings such as herbed olive oil, meats, or cheeses. All is a matter of taste and location.

After the dough has been prepared it can be brushed with olive oil before rising to retain moisture. After rising, the dough is usually pressed out by hand or rolled out. The thick layer of dough is then punched with holes by a fork or knife to prevent bubbles in the dough. Bubbles that form during baking can also be pierced with a fork to reduce them. Once baked the dough can be brushed with olive oil.

Every region across the Mediterranean has their own evolved versions of Focaccia. Some experimentation has even led to the production of sweet versions of focaccia. Stiacciata coi Siccioli, from Artusi, matches the Ciccioli with sugar, eggs, and peel from a citrus fruit such as orange or lemon. In Provence the dough was enriched in the 14th and 15th centuries. The result was more a resemblance of a cake which managed to escape taxes that were placed on bread.

Italian Focaccia

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Vinaigrette dressing is an example of an emulsion. An emulsion is a solution formed when liquids that do not naturally mix easily are mixed. Because of this, emulsions return to their original state after some time. A vinaigrette dressing will form two layers on being left to stand for a while, with a layer of oil on top and vinegar below it.

A simple vinaigrette dressing for salads is easy to create. Simply blend the ingredients in a blender or mix them in a bowl and they become a vinaigrette dressing. It should be left in a container for a few hours after mixing so that the individual flavors of each of the ingredients have time to disperse throughout the dressing and mix together to give it a fuller taste. After being made, the dressing may be kept refrigerated for up to a week. To use it, simply shake the dressing vigorously to mix it again.

A simple guide to the amounts of vinegar and olive oil to add to your dressing is that for every measure of vinegar added, four such measures of oil should also be added. Of course, these amounts will vary according to individual taste. You may also vary the taste of your vinaigrette dressing by adding citrus juice or Dijon mustard to your list of ingredients. Citrus juice will give your vinaigrette dressing extra zest while Djion mustard allows the emulsion to stay mixed longer than usual.

Different types of herbs or other ingredients may also be added to your dressing to supplement its taste. Diced onions, pressed or grated garlic and ginger, and minced shallots help create a range of subtly different tastes. Fresh herbs should be added to the dressing prior to mixing the emulsion while other additional ingredients should  be added before the olive oil.

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Flavor and taste determine the quality of olive oil. The resurgence of the use of food products used extensively in Mediterranean countries has become more and more apparent in the US in the last couple of decades, in particular, olive oil. This is possibly due to the increased awareness of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and this is one product that can be beneficial to our daily diet.

Extra virgin olive oil is a much healthier dietary choice than dairy products such as butter as it has essential vitamins and minerals and significant levels of antioxidants. So, not only can the use of olive oil protect against the risk of coronary disease but can also be anti carcinogenic.

Like fine wine, olive oil comes in several varieties, each being determined and categorised by how the oil is extracted and the amount of fatty acid content. For example, extra virgin and virgin olive oil are processed only be mechanical means. However, a mixture of both refined olive oil and virgin olive oil give us the variety known simply as olive oil or pure olive oil. The categorizing of olive oil is strictly controlled, therefore allowing the purchaser to have confidence in the quality of the bottled product. Information regarding the process of olive oil labelling can be found at the website of the regulatory body (www.internationaloliveoil.org).

The flavour of olive oil can vary greatly from region to region, and the time of year the olives are picked. The flavour is dependant upon the color of the fruit and constituent levels of vitamin and minerals, the higher the content the richer the flavour and cost. Extra virgin olive oil is naturally high in these properties which and is distinguished by its intense flavour as opposed to virgin olive oil. In the Mediterranean extra virgin olive oil is not generally used for cooking but is ideally used to enhance salads and vegetables and makes a delicious sauce in which to dip freshly baked breads.

It is essential to store olive oil correctly to prolong its life. Firstly, it is important to remember the flavour and composition of the oil will spoil if kept in a warm temperature. Ideally, your oil should be stored in an area that is both cool and away from the light. Oil stored in a refrigerator may solidify to some extent but this problem can be reversed if the oil is left to stand for a while at room temperature. If olive oil is purchased in large containers it will be store if the contents are transferred into several smaller bottles or jars

olive oil taste, olive oil flavor 

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