Olives are one of the most popular snacks on the Mediterranean table. We have often wondered how to remove the bitterness from olives, but for proper consumption, the olives must first be seasoned. This is a process that goes through several stages. Today we are going to focus on how to remove the bitterness from the olives.
If you have ever tasted an olive freshly picked from the olive tree, you will have noticed that it is very bitter. This bitterness is mainly due to one of its components, oleuropein. It is true that there are other components that also contribute to this characteristic, so if it is so bitter, you may ask yourself: how to remove the bitterness from the olives so that they are as tasty as the ones I ate at the neighbour's house?
To eliminate the components that give this fruit such a sour taste, a procedure must be carried out prior to dressing it for consumption, commonly known as sweetening.
Do not confuse sweetening with dressing olives.
You should not confuse the term "sweetening" with the term "seasoning". The former consists of removing the bitterness from the olives, while seasoning is the seasoning after sweetening to give the olives the flavour you like best.
How is olive sweetening carried out?
To sweeten olives, you will need mineral water, coarse salt and a plastic container.
Add the olives to the container with the water and coarse salt in a proportion of 30g per litre. With this mixture of water and salt you should keep them for about a week, changing the water daily (the reason for using mineral water is because they become soft with tap water).
During this process, the olives must not be touched by hand or with any metal utensil. It is advisable to use wooden tools.
It is recommended that you test them throughout the process in order to get them to your liking and at the same time to avoid softening.
To bear in mind when sweetening olives
For this operation to be carried out correctly, it must be done in the time strictly necessary, taking into account these factors:
- Whether the olive is black or green.
You will need to separate these two types of olives as green olives are more bitter, so they will need more time to sweeten.
- If we sweeten it boneless, split or whole.
The whole one takes longer to sweeten, while the split one needs less time.
Finally, once you have finished this technique, you should season the olives with any of the different varieties of seasoning available so that they can be consumed with the desired flavour. As you can see, it is quite simple and you will have delicious homemade olives.
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