Many of us grew up in a time when Mom put a plate of celery sticks and black olives on the Sunday dinner table. You remember the olives — they had holes that were a perfect fit for little fingers and a bland, non-threatening taste.
We’ve grown up since then and so has America’s love affair with olives. Today, dozens of varieties with a wide range of flavor profiles are available. Tart and bitter. Sweet and fruity. Mild and smoky. Soft and tangy. Rich and intense. Olives have just about as many different personalities as the people who love them.
One variety has caught the country by storm — the Castelvetrano olive from Sicily. It’s become the must-have olive and one of the hottest new foods of the year. Its bright, almost painfully green color catches gourmands off guard — it’s so vivid it looks as if it’s been artificially colored. But that’s not the case at all. In fact, some people say the brighter the green, the better the Castelvetrano. The olive is large, the pit small and the texture meaty with a mild, slightly salty and buttery profile. It’s perfect for pairing — especially for friends who claim not to like olives. It’s sophisticated enough for food purists and likeable enough to be everybody’s everyday favorite.
The actual cultivar (type of olive) is Nocellara del Belice, a protected denomination of origin (PDO) olive grown in and around the immediate area of Castelvetrano, a small Sicilian city from which these delightful treasures derive their common name. They’re harvested earlier than many other olives, and a unique process that uses a mild brine cure — it’s called the “Castelvetrano process” — helps the olive retain its youthful, bright, fruity color and mild buttery taste.
Successful pairings with Castelvetranos are almost a given. They go with just about everything but are exceptional when paired with Mozzarella and Burrata. The perfect snacking olive, it’s a wonderful find for party givers looking for something more interesting to serve than bowls of mixed nuts.
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