Hate cilantro? Love olives? Why some foods are so polarizing to one person and so irresistible to someone else.
Olives. Their history, their culture. Their versatility, their texture. Their ability to pack quite a punch when it comes to flavor.
Whether you like them hot or cold, on the vine or in a jar, olives have a long and proud history, in the Mediterranean, in Spain and in Italy.
When they were first brought to New York — the first to arrive — they sold for two dollars a pound. Today, the average price of a good olive is $3.46 per pound, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Today, my first question to my guests at the Food and Wine Show is “Which olives do you love and why?” The second question is “What olives do you hate and why?” And the third question is “If you could only eat one olive, what would it be?”
So whether you’re a connoisseur of the olive and you’ve been waiting for a good reason to upgrade to a jar of the finest, or you’re a picky ol’ fan who’s tired of using a whole jar of something every time he opens his fridge just isn’t cutting it anymore, we’re here to help.
Here’s a guide to the olive that loves you, and the olive that hates you.
The Best
Picholine and Aged Civet. I don’t know why, but it seems these olives are always popular. A friend of mine rips open one just to give me the lowdown. They are perfect when you’re eating with the family at the table or having a glass of wine. I would give up drinking a whole bottle of wine for one of these olives, which is about how much you would have to drink to have drunk a picholine in one sitting. And it would just be from eating one olive. They are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. You can find the best ones in supermarkets.
The least
Any olive. I never get excited over olives. I always have them on the shelf. I find them disappointing and I