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| Lye Curing is the process used for Black Ripe
and Green Ripe olives. It begins with hand- picked, unripened
green olives that are cured in a series of lye and oxygenated water
baths for seven days or until the solution penetrates to the pits
and removes the bitterness. A final rinse follows and, in the case
of Black Ripe olives, iron is added as a color stabilizer.
Carbon dioxide is introduced to neutralize the lye, after which the
olives are sized, pitted, canned, and topped with brine. Once sealed,
they’re cooked with steam. Most similar to home-cured olives,
the Green Ripe variety is packed without the introduction of oxygen
or iron. |
Lye Curing with Fermentation is the approach used for
Spanish olives, which also start as hand-picked, unripened
green olives. They are first submerged in a lye bath for a few hours
to remove their bitterness. The fruit is then rinsed and soaked in
a strong salt brine for three months, causing fermentation. The olives
are then bottled in salt brine, capped and pasteurized. |
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| Dry Curing is the approach that starts with ripe, soft
olives and results in salty, chewy varieties, such as the Dried
Greek olive. Before curing, the olives are gently “smashed”
to allow moisture to permeate their skins. Then the fruit is layered
and covered with salt for four weeks. After curing, the olives are
immersed in hot water to remove the salt, rinsed in cold water, and
spread out to dry. The olives are then coated with olive oil, before
being packed and sterilized. |
The various Natural Curing processes are favored for
olive bar varieties. One approach is to soak the olives in water that
is changed on a daily basis, after which the olives are cured in salt
brine for several months. Another Natural Curing process used for
Sicilian olives involves soaking the olives in salt and lactic
acid for one year. The same process, minus the lactic acid is used
to cure Kalamata, Amphissa, Niçoise,
Picholine, Cerignola and Gaeta olives. |
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