Green olives are olives picked before they ripen, firmer and more sharply bitter than black olives and usually cured in brine. Meaty and briny, they are eaten as a snack, stuffed, chopped into sauces, or, in the Marche, breaded around a meat filling and deep-fried. Large mild varieties such as those of Ascoli are especially valued for stuffing.
Where it comes from
The Mediterranean basin, where the olive has been cultivated since antiquity.
In the kitchen
Briny olives for snacking, stuffing and frying