Fascinating Facts - Olives
- Olive is a fruit, growing on the tree of the same name, native to coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean region, apart from Asia and parts of Africa.
- Olive tree has been cultivated since ages, being the source of olives for consumption, olive oil, fine wood and even the useful olive leaf.
- Olives are not usually eaten raw because of their bitter taste.
- Green and black olives are not really types of olive. The difference between green and black olives is that green olives are picked from the tree early whereas black olives are ripened on the tree until they turn black. That’s why black olives have a softer texture and are less bitter than green olives.
- Even though olives have a high fat content of 15 to 35 percent, they are an excellent source of oleic acid (an omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid).
- Since olives contain mixed tocopherols, they are also a good source of vitamin E.
- Olives and their oil contain many unique phenolic and aromatic compounds, including oleuroperin and flavonoids.