Hundreds of olive varieties grow around the globe with a range of flavors, colors, and textures. Discover our picks for the best and briniest, plus learn how to put each all-star table olive to tasty use including our recipe for olive tapenade and tips for creating the ultimate charcuterie board.
First, a few pointers:
When cooking, you’ll generally need to pit both green and black olives before adding them to a recipe. To do so, crush the long side of the olive with the heel of your hand, then simply pull out the pit.You can buy pre-pitted olives. However, pitting causes more of the olive’s flesh to be exposed to the brine. This can alter the flavor or make them softer than you might like.
Our Favorite Types of Olives
These are some of the more common types of olives you’re likely to find in the condiment aisle of the supermarket. Specialty stores and well-stocked supermarkets might also sell many different kinds of olives in self-serve olive bars in the deli and cheese department. Each kind of olive is perfect for adding to charcuterie boards.
Alphonso: Chile sends these flavorful purplish-black olives our way. They’re brine-cured, then cured in red wine. With their meaty flesh and pleasantly bitter and sour flavors, they’ll stand out on an olive tray.
Arbequina: These brine-cured, slightly bitter olives originally hail from Spain. Their colors go beyond the usual olive green; in fact, you might find them in hues from pinkish-brown to burnt orange, making them a striking addition to a mix of appetizer olives.
Beldi: These olives are notable for their wrinkly black skins; bitter, salty taste; and chewy texture. “Beldi olives thrive in Morocco and undergo a unique salt-cure method from fall to spring, after which they are packed in oil,” says Meggan Hill, executive chef at Culinary Hill Test Kitchen and a Better Homes & Gardens Stylemaker. The curing process causes the olives to shrivel, so they’re a breeze to pit. For larger, smoother Moroccan olives, look for purple Beldi olives. The robust flavor of Beldis lets them star in poultry and fish-based entrées, salads, and meze platters.
Castelvetrano: Hailing from Valle del Belice, the valley of the Belice River in southwestern Sicily in Italy, these olives have a rich buttery taste and smooth, shiny green skins. Hill pairs them with nuts and soft cheeses, pops them into dirty martinis, and roasts them alongside fish and vegetables in sheet-pan meals. Or try them in our Dirty Martini Pasta recipe.
Cerignola: Once you taste these big green brine-cured Italian olives, you’ll suddenly remember that yes—olives are a fruit! Their mild lemon and apple flavor makes them a great contrast to more pungent green and black olives on your tray. When it comes to olive tapenade, give them a pass—they’re incredibly difficult to pit.
Gaeta Olives: These are small, greenish-brown, wrinkled olives from Italy that can be salt- or brine-cured. They have tender flesh that is very salty and slightly sour.
Italian Dry- or Salt-Cured Olives: Like Moroccan producers, Italian olive producers sometimes dry-cure olives, too. They’re often packed dry rather than in brine. Enjoy them on their own or try them marinated with olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasonings.
Kalamata: These brine-cured, greenish-black olives have a pungent, lingering flavor. Hailing from Greece, they’re a workhorse in cooking. Try them in recipes like salads, pasta tosses, stews, and olive tapenade.
La Catalan: The French name doesn’t refer to a variety of olive but rather a way of flavoring green olives “à la Catalane”—in the style of the Catalan cook. Hailing from France’s Roussillon region, the olives get flavor-charged with a marinade of curry, celery, and pepper. Serve them alongside French or Spanish sheep’s milk cheeses for an irresistible hors d’oeuvre.
Manzanilla: “They are possibly the most popular table olives,” Hill says. Manzanillas are brined then sold either undyed and green in color (the classic green olive with a red pimiento, for example) or dyed black and canned as “California black ripe” olives. When you order olives on your pizza, chances are they’re Manzanilla olives. Try them as garnishes for salads or dips too
Moroccan Dry- or Salt-Cured Black Olives: These glistening jet-black olives are cured in salt (rather than brine)—a process known as dry curing or salt-curing. Their flesh is moist and meaty, and they have a salty, smoky flavor. Enjoy them on their own or marinated in a mixture of olive oil, garlic, and lemon.
Niçoise: Though these French black olives are mini in size, they’re mighty in flavor. Juicy but not oily, the South-of-France favorites are a favorite in Provençal cooking. intensify their savory flavor. If you can’t find Niçoise olives, look for Coquillo olives, which are closely related and a bit smaller. Like other brine-cured olives, Niçoise olives are a treat in tapenade, as stand-alone appetizers, and (naturally) as part of tuna Niçoise salad.
Nyons: Olive connoisseurs prize these tender, slightly bitter, lightly wrinkled black olives, which are grown in and around the city of Nyons, France. Though they can be hard to find—and a little pricey—their juicy, soft flesh and lightly sweet and fruity flavor make them worth the hunt.
Picholine: This French gem is the quintessential olive-green olive! It’s brine-cured and meaty, with a slightly citrusy flavor and crisp, crunchy texture. Try these in an olive tapenade recipe that calls for a mix of both green and black olives.
Stuffed Olives: Large, mild green olives, such as the Queen and Sevillano olive varieties, are often used to make stuffed olives. Pimiento-stuffed olives are classic, but these days you can also find these types of olives filled with other delights, such as almonds, garlic, anchovies, or blue cheese. They’re the quintessential martini olive; we also like using the pimento-stuffed versions in recipes for green olive tapenade, as the striking red pimento offers extra flecks of color to the spread.
Thassos: Also from Greece, these wrinkly-skinned, salt-cured black olives offer a somewhat mellow, woodsy flavor. Try serving them drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with some fresh or crushed dried oregano.
Andy Lyons
How to Make Olive Tapenade
One of our favorite uses for olives is olive tapenade. While some recipes call for black olives and others for green, this olive tapenade recipe calls for both for a greater variety of flavors.
1-1/2 cups pitted green olives1-1/2 cups pitted Kalamata olives1/2 cup pitted oil-cured black olives1/3 cup olive oil2 Tbsp. capers, drained2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard2 anchovy fillets (optional)2 cloves garlic, minced1 Tbsp. snipped fresh basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, and/or rosemary
In a blender or food processor combine green olives, Kalamata olives, black olives, oil, capers, vinegar, mustard, anchovies (if desired), and garlic. Cover and blend or process until finely chopped, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary. Stir in fresh herb(s).
Spoon olive tapenade into 4-oz, canning jars, airtight storage containers, or freezer containers, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Seal and label. Store in the refrigerator up to 1 week or freeze up to 3 months. Makes 3 cups.
Jason Donnelly
How to Add Olives to a Charcuterie Board
A charcuterie board is a great place to feature any of the olive varieties listed above. Here are a few of our favorite tips for adding olives to your board.
Add a Vessel: Choose small bowls to contain the olives. They are often in brine, which can leak into your other snacks if not contained. Go for Color: We like to include several olive varieties on our boards for color and flavor differences. Note the Pits: Be sure to include a little note or sign to warn guests the olives may contain pits. Jazz Them Up: Try making marinated olives for your next board. Remove two 1×2-inch lemon zest strips from 1 lemon. In a small saucepan heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil; 1 Tbsp. minced shallot; 1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed; 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper; and the lemon zest over medium until mixture simmers. Place 11/2 cups whole olives (such as Castelvetrano and/or Kalamata) in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour oil mixture over olives. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days. Makes 8 servings