Fun fact: “Black olives, though labeled as “ripe” on supermarket cans, actually aren’t: these, a California invention, are green olives that have been cured in an alkaline solution, and then treated with oxygen and an iron compound (ferrous gluconate) that turns their skins a shiny patent-leather black.”
The Chinese have a method for curing eggs in alkaline solution until they turn black and somewhat translucent, too.
With olives, there’s basically no way to eat them off the tree and have them taste edible. They have to be processed in some way to remove the bitter compounds, usually by brining or curing. So using an alkaline brine is one method, and not that uncommon (even for other colors of olives).
Other uses of alkaline compounds in cooking include using a lye bath for browning for baking pretzels or bagels, certain types of springiness and chewiness for noodles (for example, for fresh ramen), and processing corn into cornmeal through nixtamalization.
It’s worth noting that there are naturally occurring “black” olives, but they tend to have a sort of purple hue, there are also sun dried black olives that are kind of wrinkly.
Fun fact: “Black olives, though labeled as “ripe” on supermarket cans, actually aren’t: these, a California invention, are green olives that have been cured in an alkaline solution, and then treated with oxygen and an iron compound (ferrous gluconate) that turns their skins a shiny patent-leather black.”
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/olives–the-bitter-truth
What in the goddamnolivefuckery did I just read … thx, I hate it.
(fascinating read tho, actual thx for sharing)
The Chinese have a method for curing eggs in alkaline solution until they turn black and somewhat translucent, too.
With olives, there’s basically no way to eat them off the tree and have them taste edible. They have to be processed in some way to remove the bitter compounds, usually by brining or curing. So using an alkaline brine is one method, and not that uncommon (even for other colors of olives).
Other uses of alkaline compounds in cooking include using a lye bath for browning for baking pretzels or bagels, certain types of springiness and chewiness for noodles (for example, for fresh ramen), and processing corn into cornmeal through nixtamalization.
It’s also the only food where ferrous gluconate is allowed to be in, at least in Germany (and EU I guess). For everything else it’s forbidden.
Actual black olives exist, but they’re expensive.
😦
What have I been buying from Del Monte for ~$4?
Green olives that have been artificially blackened.
Reverse-greenwashing.
These?
If so they are real olives, not whatever everyone is talking about.
Nah, these
https://www.madewithdelmonte.in/italian/pitted-black-olives
They’re also not called black olives, though. If that’s what they meant, those are natural.
What the fuck.
It’s worth noting that there are naturally occurring “black” olives, but they tend to have a sort of purple hue, there are also sun dried black olives that are kind of wrinkly.
But those ink black ones you get on pizzas? Nah.
Those fake ones are my favorite haha. Used to get scolded cause I’d eat the whole can on thanksgiving lmao