To make harvested olives palatable, they must be "cured" to remove their natural bitterness.
Why Curing is Essential
Freshly harvested olives contain a bitter compound called oleuropein. This water-soluble substance must be removed or significantly reduced to make the olives enjoyable to eat. The process of curing is specifically designed to leach out this oleuropein from the olive flesh.
Common Curing Methods
According to the process, the bitterness is removed through various treatments. The most common methods used for curing olives include:
- Brine Treatments: Soaking olives in a salt water solution for an extended period.
- Dry Salt Treatments: Packing olives in dry salt, which draws out moisture and bitterness.
- Water Treatments: Soaking olives in plain water, which is changed regularly to leach out bitterness.
- Lye Treatments: Using a lye solution (sodium hydroxide) for a faster curing process, followed by rinsing.
These curing techniques effectively extract the oleuropein, transforming the bitter fruit into the edible olives we consume.
