How oil works
The fatty-acid profile: why oleic acid is the hero
The backbone of olive oil is one fat: oleic acid. Its dominance is why the oil keeps, why it cooks well, and how a lab can tell it apart from a seed oil.
Read the story →Sunday 1 November 2026Since 2004 · in English and French · 25 years in the olive trade
Every type of olive, and the oil it becomes.
How 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,…
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, 2026Are Olive Trees Toxic to Cats and Dogs? The Real Risks
Are olive trees toxic to cats or dogs? The tree is not a known pet poison, but pits, fallen fruit, garden chemicals and pollen can be. What to watch for.
October 25, 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
Mission San Jose, CA: Olives take center stage today
Every olive festival in California is really a nod to one tree: the Mission olive, carried north by Franciscan friars…
Salov ready to grab Indian olive oil market
India is one of the olive-oil world's great frontiers — a huge, fast-growing market where the oil is almost entirely…
USA drawn to olive oil’s allure
By Joan Leotta, In the past 20 years, olive oil has become more popular in American kitchens for its health…
Savor the world’s most exclusive olive oil
Why does one bottle of olive oil cost a few euros and another cost a hundred? The gap is real,…
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…
Olives Sizes
Jumbo, Colossal, Super Mammoth — les calibres d'olives sonnent comme des affiches de cirque, et ce n'est pas un hasard.…