The Food: All About Olives

To talk about Italian talking and not talk about olives is to speak about computers but not about software or cars without talking about the engine.  Olives, since the dawn of civilization (Greek & Italian) have played an important part not just of cooking, but other areas as well, including using the oil for fuel for laterns, and for lubrication of the wheel.  Olives grow on trees, and these trees were considered so valuable because of the product they produce, that in ancient times, cutting one down was punishable by death.  Serious stuff.

Olives are basically all the same color.  They start off as bright green, but they start to deteriorate after just 10 hours. Unripened olives are lighter green, the ripened ones are brown or black, and produce a subtle to distinct flavor olive oil. 

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