Olives have been a symbol of peace since ancient times. This fruit dates back to the 17th century BC when it first appeared in print in Egyptian records and was mentioned numerous times in the Bible. The word comes from the Latin ?olivea?, which first appeared in English around 1200 A.D.

Olives are native to the Mediterranean and Italy and Spain are its world?s largest producers. The olive tree was introduced to California in the 18th century by the Spaniards, where they flourished. In the late 19th century, a professor of the University of California invented a method of canning olives, thus ensuring their year-round availability.

The only difference between green olives and black olives is the ripeness. Unripe olives are green and fully ripe olives are black. Olives are cured or pickled before consumption, using various methods including oil-cured, water-cured, brine-cured, dry-cured, and lye-cured. The longer the olive is permitted to ferment in its own brine, the less bitter and more intense its flavor will become. Green olives are usually pitted, and often stuffed with various fillings, including almonds, onions, anchovies, jalap?nos or capers. Black olives are graded into sizes like small, medium, large, extra-large and supercolossal. Black olives contain more oil than green.

Tips for storing:

• An unopened jar of olives can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to a year. After opening, store them in the refrigerator for no more than a month.

• Never refrigerate canned olives in the can because the metal tarnishes the taste. Transfer them to an airtight glass jar instead.

• Store bulk olives in an airtight jar covered with vegetable oil and place them in the refrigerator.

• One way to quickly remove olive pits is by placing the olives between towels and rolling over them with a rolling pin.

pasta with capers and olives

• Ingredients: 3tbs butter; 3tbs olive oil; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 3tbs pine nuts; 15-30 black olives, sliced; 3tbs capers, rinsed, minced; 1tbs basil, cut into chiffonade; 1tsp oregano, minced or 1/2tsp dried oregano; 1tsp parsley, minced; 1pound pasta; salt and pepper, to taste; 2oz Parmesan cheese, grated Sprinkle each portion with grated Parmesan cheese

• Method: Combine the butter with the oil and heat over medium heat in a large pan. Add the garlic and pine nuts, reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook until the nuts start turning golden. Add the olives, capers, and herbs. Toss until the products are heated thoroughly. Cook the pasta in a large saucepot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well. Toss the drained pasta with the nut-olive mixture over medium heat until the products are mixed and heated thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.