Greek Table Olives Handbook

Olive is a traditional agricultural Greek product, as the climate and the landscape of Greece, favor its growth and cultivation. Greece is the second larger producer of table olives in the EU, and a major exporter of this agricultural product. According to the new trade standard there are 4 main categories commercial olive types which are defined by their processing. Each type of processing is used for certain olive varieties, which are described in turn under each process.

1. Natural olives
also known as Greek type olives. They can be green, blond but mainly naturally ripe black olives, fermented in brine, until they lose their bitter flavor by natural process. The most common Natural olive varieties are:
• Kalamata olives. Unique olive variety with purple color , almond shape and crunchy texture. This olive is considered as one of the best varieties in the world. It is cultivated in the area of Pelopponese (Messinia and Laconia) and Central Greece in the area of Agrinion.
• Black Amfissa olives (Konservolia). Naturally ripe black olives, fleshy and meaty they come in large sizes with a relatively small core up to Mammoth (101-110) size.
• Crushed olives of Megara. Green olives collected semi-ripe, crushed and placed in brine, depending on a recipe with lemon and herbs or vinegar.
• Crushed olives of Nafplion. Collected semi-ripe this olives are crushed, curred in brine and combined with lemon and spices.
• Throumba of Thassos, naturaly black and rinkled olives. A variety that matures on the tree. It can then be consumed directly or placed in salt for further preservation.
2. Treated olives
also known as Spanish type olives. Mainly green, processed in a in a diluted lye solution (sodium hydroxide) The lye is then replaced by water, until the olives are clean and then fermentation is carried out in suitable containers in which the olives are covered with brine.
• Chalkidiki Green olive, is plump and fleshy variety of green olives with a unique taste and a relatively small core. They come whole, pitted, or stuffed with a variety of fillings such as almonds, red sweet pepper, garlic, lemon, orange, carrot, piri-piri, feta cheese, sun dried tomato and other specialties. This olive comes in a larger sizes compared to the Spanish varieties. The usual sizes are from Jumbo (181-200) to Super Super Mammoth (81-90)
• Amfissa Green olive, very similar to the Chalkidiki olive but in slightly smaller sizes up to Mamoth(101-110)
3. Olives treated by oxidation
also known as confit olives, where olives are darkened in a solution of lye with and oxidized by air.
4. Dehydrated olives
using salt as a mean for the process
5. PDO (Protected designation of origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) olive oils.