The botany
Olive Genus and Classification: Olea europaea, Family Oleaceae
The olive genus is Olea; the olive we eat is Olea europaea, in the Oleaceae family with ash and lilac. Plus fruits called olives that are not olives.
Read the story →Thursday 5 November 2026Since 2004 · in English and French · 25 years in the olive trade
Every type of olive, and the oil it becomes.
Olive Tree Leaves Yellow or Dropping: Check These Things in Order
Olive tree leaves yellow, curling or dropping? Check the season, soil, roots, light, recent changes and cold, in that order, then read each symptom.
November 3, 2026How Big Do Olive Trees Get? Height, Spread and Growth Rate
How big do olive trees get? Usually 20 to 30 feet in the ground and 4 to 10 in a pot. Size by variety, growth per year, and how pruning…
October 31, 2026Cold Hardy Olive Trees: Best Varieties and Winter Care
A cold hardy olive tree still has limits. How cold olives can really go, which varieties hold up best, what zones work and how to protect one.
October 28, 2026Guides
How to Cure Your Own Olives (Without Lye)
Straight off the tree, an olive is inedible — bitter enough to make you wince. Curing is how we fix that, and you can do it at home…
- How to Taste Olive Oil
- How Long Do Olives Last? Storage and Shelf Life
- Olive Oil Grades Explained
- Olive Tree Care: Watering, Pruning and Feeding
Comparisons
Kalamata vs Black Olives: What’s the Difference?
Kalamata are ripened and brine-cured. Tinned black olives are picked green and oxidised. Why one tastes of wine and the other of almost nothing.
- Extra Virgin vs Virgin Olive Oil: The Difference Is a Number
- Early-Harvest vs Late-Harvest Oil
- Black Olives vs Green Olives: What’s the Difference?
- Olive Harvesting: Hand vs Machine
Kitchen
Cooking With Olives: A Practical Guide
An olive that is delicious from the jar can wreck a dish, because heat does three things to it: it drives out salt, it softens the flesh, and…
- Cheese and Olive Pairing Guide
- Chicken Marbella: The Olive and Prune Dish That Refuses to Date
- The Gilda: Three Ingredients on a Stick, and the Best Olive Snack in Spain
- The Best Olives for Pizza: Which Varieties Actually Work
Stories
The Oldest Olive Tree in the World: ~4,000 Years in Crete
In a village in Crete stands an olive tree up to 4,000 years old — still making olives. A timeline of everything it has outlived, and the one…
- The True Cost of an Olive: Where Your Money Actually Goes
- How Olive Oil Gets Cut: Blending, Refining & Fraud
- Olive Oil Fraud, Explained
- The Most Expensive Olives in the World, and What You Are Actually Paying For
Types of olives, A to Z 87
- Adramytini
- Aglandau
- Alfonso (Botija)
- Aloreña de Málaga
- Arauco
- Arbequina
- Arbosana
- Ascolana Tenera
- Athinolia
- Ayvalık
- Biancolilla
- Blanqueta
- Bosana
- Bouteillan
- Buža
- Carolea
- Casaliva
- Castelvetrano
- Cellina di Nardò
- Cerasuola
- Cerignola
- Changlot Real
- Chemlal de Kabylie
- Chemlali
- Chetoui
- Cobrançosa
- Coquillo
- Coratina
- Cornicabra
- Domat
- Dritta
- Empeltre
- Farga
- Frantoio
- Gaeta
- Galega
- Gemlik
- Gordal
- Grossane
- Halkidiki
- Hojiblanca
- Istrska Belica
- Itrana
- Kalamata
- Kalinjot
- Kolovi
- Konservolia (Amfissa)
- Koroneiki
- Leccino
- Lechín de Sevilla
- Lucques
- Madural
- Manzanilla Cacereña
- Manzanilla
- Maurino
- Megaritiki
- Memecik
- Mission
- Moraiolo
- Morisca
- Niçoise (Cailletier)
- Nocellara del Belice
- Nocellara Etnea
- Nostrana di Brisighella
- Nyons (Tanche)
- Oblica
- Ogliarola Barese
- Pendolino
- Peranzana
- Picholine Marocaine (Beldi)
- Picholine
- Picual
- Picudo
- Rosciola
- Royal de Cazorla
- Salonenque
- Sevillano
- Taggiasca
- Tanche
- Throuba Thassos
- Toffahi
- Tonda Iblea
- Tsounati
- Verdeal Transmontana
- Verdial
- Villalonga
- Žutica
From the archive
NSW olive grower receives Churchill Fellowship
Pourquoi les producteurs vont-ils encore apprendre en Sicile ? Parce que l'olive verte de table est vraiment difficile à réussir —…
Lamb with garlic and olive sauce
Pan-fried lamb with a warm garlic, lemon and Kalamata olive sauce — a fast, bright, Mediterranean plate that turns four…
New Potential Health Benefit Of Olive Oil For Peptic Ulcer Disease
Laboratory work suggests the polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil can fight Helicobacter pylori, the stomach bug behind most ulcers.…
Quantification of Corn, Canola and Olive Oils in Mixtures Containing All Three Oils
Olive oil is one of the most adulterated foods on earth, so laboratories have built a whole toolkit to catch…
There’s a lot of good with olives
Green and black barely scratch the surface. A field guide to the olive bar — and the trade secret behind…
Compound From Olive-pomace Oil Inhibits HIV Spread
Maslinic acid, a waxy compound in olive skin and pomace, has drawn real laboratory interest — but the honest story…