What's Your Favorite Olive?

[Country]

.... When we lived in NJ we made a bi-weekly trek to Nouris, a Lebanese market in Paterson, that has a huge array of olives in giant tubs that can be sampled before buying. Big green, little green, cracked green, huge fat black ones, little wrinkled black ones, medium purple ones. I miss that!

That sounds ideal! I'd miss it too.

[andiesenji]

The first olives I had that weren't just the generic "black" and "Spanish (aka stuffed green) were Graber olives. I haven't had them in years, and I have no idea if they would still be as good now as they were then, but I remember them as being irresistible.

Now, I like almost any olives -- I'm not a huge fan of the little salt-cured black ones (whatever they're called), but that's about the only kind I've tasted that I didn't like.

Graber olives are still available and as good as ever. I order them direct from Graber as shipping is free and none of my local markets carry them.

[weinoo]

So today I was snacking on some assorted olives, which I often do, seeing as how healthy they are . There were about 5 or 6 different olives in the batch; some sweet and fruity, some dry and funky - you get the picture.

I think I've decided that my favorite olive is the Cerignola - especially the green ones. Might be because they're huge, but probably more so because they're so damn tasty.

Do you have a favorite olive? And why?

Are these the bright green ones that also come in a red variety? If so these are my favorite as well. My MIL always brings me some back from her hometown Naples. Great now I'm craving them.

Yes. They come in red, black and green, I think depending on their ripeness.

[cdh]

I love the Castelvetranos and the Morrocan oil cured blacks.

[Ashen]

I havn't tried many olives I didn't like, but my favourites right now are nicoise. I also enjoy some of the different stuffed green olive options.. anchovy, blue cheese, garlic, jalapeno, habanero. That almost made me drool a bit, I will have to hit vincenzo's this weekend and stock up..

[FrogPrincesse]

My vote goes to Lucques olives. I think they have the best texture (i.e., relatively firm) and a delicate taste.

[LindaK]

I've only just discovered taggescia olives and I am enamoured. A small black olive from Liguria, Italy. Full flavored but still delicate with no bitterness, and the shop where I buy them sells them packed in their own oil, which is fabulous in its own right. Expensive but worth the splurge.