Kalamata (olive)
Encyclopedia
The Kalamata olive is a large, black olive
with a smooth, meaty texture named after the city of Kalamata
in the southern Peloponnese
, Greece
. Often used as a table olive, they are usually preserved in wine vinegar or olive oil. Kalamata olives enjoy PDO
status.
, southern Greece, near where they are grown. They are also grown in nearby Laconia
. They are an almond-shaped, plump, dark purple olive, from a tree distinguished from the common olive
by the size of its leaves, which grow to twice the size of other olive varieties. The trees are intolerant of cold and are susceptible to Verticillium wilt
and resistant to olive knot
and the Olive fruit fly
.
Kalamata olives cannot be harvested green, and must be hand-picked in order to avoid bruising. Olive oil
produced from the Kalamata olive has a faintly grassy flavor. Kalamata olives are protected under the European Protected Geographical Status
scheme.
for around a week. Once complete, they are then packed in brine and wine vinegar
with a layer of olive oil
and slices of lemon
on top. The olives can be slit in order to decrease the processing time. The long method involves slitting the olives and placing them in salted water in order to debitter them, a process that can take as long as three months. Levels of polyphenol
remain in the olives after processing, giving them their slightly bitter taste.
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
with a smooth, meaty texture named after the city of Kalamata
Kalamata
Kalamata is the second-largest city of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The capital and chief port of the Messenia prefecture, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf...
in the southern Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Often used as a table olive, they are usually preserved in wine vinegar or olive oil. Kalamata olives enjoy PDO
Protected Geographical Status
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
status.
Description
Kalamata olives are named after the city of Kalamata in MesseniaMessenia
Messenia is a regional unit in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, one of 13 regions into which Greece has been divided by the Kallikratis plan, implemented 1 January 2011...
, southern Greece, near where they are grown. They are also grown in nearby Laconia
Laconia
Laconia , also known as Lacedaemonia, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti...
. They are an almond-shaped, plump, dark purple olive, from a tree distinguished from the common olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
by the size of its leaves, which grow to twice the size of other olive varieties. The trees are intolerant of cold and are susceptible to Verticillium wilt
Verticillium wilt
Verticillium Wilt is a wilt disease of over 300 species of eudicot plants caused by one of two species of Verticillium fungus, V. dahliae and V. albo-atrum. Many economically important plants are susceptible including cotton, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers and ornamentals, as well as others...
and resistant to olive knot
Pseudomonas savastanoi
Pseudomonas savastanoi is a Gram-negative plant pathogenic bacterium that infects a variety of plants. It was once considered a pathovar of Pseudomonas syringae, but following DNA-relatedness studies, it was instated as a new species....
and the Olive fruit fly
Olive fruit fly
The olive fruit fly is a species of fruit fly which belongs to the Dacinae subfamily MUNRO, 1984. It is a kind of phytophagous species, whose larvae feed on the fruit of olive trees, hence the common name...
.
Kalamata olives cannot be harvested green, and must be hand-picked in order to avoid bruising. Olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
produced from the Kalamata olive has a faintly grassy flavor. Kalamata olives are protected under the European Protected Geographical Status
Protected Geographical Status
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
scheme.
Preparation
There are two methods of preparing Kalamata olives, known as the long and short methods. The short method debitters the olive by packing them in water or weak brineBrine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
for around a week. Once complete, they are then packed in brine and wine vinegar
Vinegar
Vinegar is a liquid substance consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, the acetic acid being produced through the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow fermentation processes. Slow methods generally are used with traditional...
with a layer of olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
and slices of lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
on top. The olives can be slit in order to decrease the processing time. The long method involves slitting the olives and placing them in salted water in order to debitter them, a process that can take as long as three months. Levels of polyphenol
Polyphenol
Polyphenols are a structural class of natural, synthetic, and semisynthetic organic chemicals characterized by the presence of large multiples of phenol structural units...
remain in the olives after processing, giving them their slightly bitter taste.