The Difference Between Green Olives and Black Olives

It’s hard to imagine a pizza without olives. Or are these black things actually green olives? Even though the difference is clear, many people confuse them.

We at 5-Minute Crafts decided to put an end to the confusion and prepared this article for you.

What they are

Olive trees are grown in all the countries of the Mediterranean, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, North and South America, and South Africa. The fruits are one of the main elements of Mediterranean cuisine, along with grapes and wheat. Around 90% of all the grown olives are used to produce olive oil, and 10% are used as table olives, which is what we’re going to talk about.

Green olives

The green and black fruit are from the same tree harvested at different times. The green ones are olives that are harvested when they reach the “adult” size but are not fully ripe. The color varies from green to yellow. Such olives contain a bitter element, oleuropein. Due to the bitterness it creates, green olives are inedible when they are fresh, so before eating them, it needs to be removed. There are many ways to do this, and one of them is dipping olives into an alkaline solution.

Black olives

Black olives are harvested when they are fully ripe and dark. Black olives also contain oleuropein that also has to be removed. Usually, alkaline solutions are used. Black olives are preserved in brine and sterilized under high heat during the canning process.

In conclusion, green olives are younger, and black olives are ripe.