DeLallo's Olive Encyclopedia
Are you obsessed with olives? Learn more about these delicious fruits with our varietal fact pages. You'll discover where in Greece the Calamata grows, how the Spanish Manzanilla is cured, when the Nicoise is harvested, how long the Sevillano tree must grow before it begins to bear fruit and what color the Maddalena olive must be before it is harvested. Research your favorite olive varieties here!
For our quick guide to the general olive, check out our Olive FAQ!
Interested in how olive oil is made?
Olive Videos
Olive Varieties | Flavor Profiles of 4 Types of Olives
Next Anthony shows us four different types of olives, with flavors from mellow to intense. The green Bella Di Cerignola olive from Puglia is a good olive for those new to olive-tasting, while the Sicilian-cured Sevillano olive is grown in California and is ideal as a stuffed olive. The Calamata olive is the King of Table Olives and pairs well...
California Olives | Facts & Information about the Calilfornia Olive
In the first segment of our eleven-part California Olive series, we meet Frieda Ehmann, pioneer of the California black ripe olive curing method. Frieda founded Ehmann Olive Company back in 1897, starting with a few barrels of olives in her basement and quickly growing into a full-fledged olive curing company. The curing plant, now DeLallo/...
What Are Olives? Olive Facts & Information
In the first segment of the five-part Olive series, Anthony DeLallo explains that there’s more to olives than the pimento-stuffed fruits from a jar. Olives come in many colors, varieties, flavors and textures. Although inedible when first harvested, olives are transformed by the curing process. How are olives cured? View the next segment in the...
Olive Encyclopedia Articles
Anatomy of an Olive
From apex to base, know your olive inside & out.
Olive FAQ
Our Olive FAQ gives detailed answers to common olive questions, like how are olives made ready to eat? Why do some olives have slices in their skin? Why do different kinds of olives have distinct flavors? Why are some olive pasteurized, but not all? Learn more about the ins & outs of olives in this hand, fact sheet!
The Arbequina Olive
Originating in a small town near Sevilla, Spain, the Arbequina Olive has a unique earthy flavor that can be likened to artichoke or even the fruity apple. They are favored in oil production.
The Black Bella di Cerignola Olive
Exclusively grown in a province of Puglia, Italy, Bella di Cerignola olives are milder than most table olives, considered a safe bet for "beginner" olive connoisseurs. The Bella di Cerignola is a large, semi-firm olive with a deep black coloring.
The Black Greek Olive
The Black Greek Olive is a variety plentiful throughout central Greece. Fermented with natural sea salt, the Black Greek is a matured version of the green Amifissa. As a finished table olive, it can be dark brown, deep purple or even black with a flavor similar to red wine.
The Calamata Olive
DeLallo has coined its authentic Kalamata as "Calamata," a variety grown in the regions of Western and Central Greece, as well as Peloponnese. With a deep purple coloring, the Calamata has a deeply complex fruity flavor.
The California Sicilian Cured Sevillano Olive
Brought to Northern California from Spain, the California Sicillian Cured Sevillano is a larger table olive, buttery with notes of lemon. It's green in color with a firm, crisp bite.
The Castelvetrano Olive
The Castelvetrano Olive, or Nocellara del Belice, is an olive grown in western Sicily with an intense green coloring and sweeter flavor.
The Greek Green Amfissa Olive
This Greek green olive, a younger Black Greek, is cured in natural sea salt brine & citric acid with a semi-firm bite and a lemony taste.
The Green Beldi Olive
Grown in Morocco, the Beldi is a firm olive with a crisp bite. It is a light-green, straw color with a fruity taste.
The Green Bella di Cerignola Olive
With its mild, buttery flavor and crisp bite, the Green Bella di Cerignola is great as an introduction to table olives for the inexperienced palette. Bellas are larger than most other olives, originating in Cerignola, Italy.
The Halkidiki Olive
The Halkidiki is delicious, besides being fun to say: (Hal-KEE-dah-kee). This olive originated in a region of Macedonia, Greece and be cured a few different ways. Also, a certain size range qualifies them for the new title - Atlas Olive.
The Lucques Olive
The Lucques is native to Southern France, where the trees and its fruit are considered extremely valuable to gourmet cuisine connoisseurs. Its taste has been said to remind one of an almond or avocado.
The Maddelena (Alfonso) Olive
The Alfonso Olive, or Maddelena as we here at DeLallo have dubbed them, are grown in Peru and have a distinct, wine vinegar flavor.
The Niçoise Olive
Only grown in the French Riviera with a low crop yield, Niçoise Olives are mostly sold and eaten domestically. These deep brown olives have little flesh with a large pit.
The Oil Cured Beldi Olive
Like its younger, green self - the Green Beldi - Oil Cured Beldi Olives are grown in Northern Morocco. With their shriveled appearance and chewy texture, they are a product of salt curing.
The Picholine Olive
Like another famous, French olive - the Nicoise - the Picholine is a rare import. Because of its small crop yield, this olive is usually sold domestically or sold for a very high price.
The Pink Beldi Olive
Grown most often in Northern Morocco, this olive is all about timing. While the green and black versions of the Beldi are selected either in their youth or their more mature stages, the Pink Beldi is harvested in between for a different flavor.
The Red Bella di Cerignola Olive
Like its green and black counterparts, who are certainly the same olive, the Red Bella is grown in Puglia, Italy. The curing process is what makes this delicious olive stand apart with its red, red hue.
The San Remo Olive
The San Remo olive is grown in Linguria, a province in Italy. Along the Italian Riviera, these sweet and nutty olives are harvested among other varieties that are popular in this region.
The Spanish Manzanilla Olive
The Spanish Manzanilla is one of the most abundant olives, originating in Sevilla, Spain. A green olive with a briny, nutty flavor, the Manzanilla can often be found stuck with a toothpick in martini glasses around the world.