Processing is necessary prior to selling olives. This involves soaking the olives in brine solution (which may include water, salt, vinegar, and/or other ingredients) for several days or possibly weeks. Once the bitterness has been removed and replaced with a more acceptable flavor profile, the olives can be rinsed, drained, and packaged for resale.
Another popular method of processing olives is dry curing. Dry curing involves packing olives in salt and allowing them to sit for several days until they develop the desired coloration and consistency.
Lye curing is yet another possible method for removing excess bitterness from olives. Lye curing uses lye (a chemical agent) to break down some of the bitter compounds contained in olives, resulting in a sweeter-tasting final product.
Regardless of the chosen method, processing may take anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Some people mistakenly believe that simply soaking olives in water will make them suitable for immediate consumption; however, this is not true.
Olives are only prepared for eating after undergoing extensive processing. Prior to processing, it is virtually impossible to eat an olive.
Although supermarkets rarely carry fresh olives for direct consumer sale, you may still find fresh olives at specific locations throughout Italy (as well as other countries), particularly during harvest season.
Farmers markets located near areas where olives are cultivated and harvested are another excellent place to locate fresh olives.
When purchasing fresh olives from farmers markets or farm stands, you should note that they are typically labeled as “unripe” or “not for immediate consumption.” This means you are responsible for properly preparing them (curing) before you can safely eat them.
Based on my experience trying one (I know… I couldn’t resist), I highly recommend against tasting an unprepared olive for your own safety and sanity.
Besides, eating an unripe olive may result in minor stomach discomfort and digestive upset; however, it is generally not dangerous to consume in small quantities.
The primary concern with eating unripe olives is their intense bitter flavor rather than potential harm caused by toxicity.
Most people would agree that the taste is unpleasant enough to discourage repeated attempts at sampling.3
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