Kalamata Olives: What They Are, How They Are Made, How to Use Them

A true Kalamata is a specific Greek cultivar, almond-shaped, deep purple-black, split by hand or knife and cured in brine, often finished with red wine vinegar. It carries a Protected Designation of Origin covering the Messinia region of the Peloponnese, which means the name on a European label is legally meaningful in a way that “black olive” never is. Much of what is sold elsewhere as Kalamata is the same cultivar grown outside that zone, and a certain amount is not the cultivar at all.

The name problem

Two words get used and they are not interchangeable.

• Kalamata is the city and the surrounding Messinian region, and within the EU it is a Protected Designation of Origin for table olives grown and processed there.
• Kalamon is the cultivar name. An olive of the Kalamon variety grown in Halkidiki or Crete is genuinely a Kalamon olive but cannot legally be sold as Kalamata PDO inside the EU.

This is why you will see “Kalamon olives” on Greek jars destined for the European market and “Kalamata olives” on jars destined for markets where the designation is not enforced. Same fruit, different labelling law. Outside the EU the word Kalamata is often used loosely for any dark, almond-shaped brined olive.

What it tastes like and why

Shape	Almond-shaped, pointed at one end, 2–3cm
Colour	Deep purple to near-black, naturally ripened, never dyed
Flesh	Firm, meaty, high flesh-to-stone ratio
Flavour	Fruity, winey, salty, faintly smoky, moderate bitterness
Harvest	Late, fully ripe, usually hand-picked to avoid bruising

The winey note is not imagination. Kalamatas are typically finished in a brine containing red wine vinegar, and many producers add a little olive oil to the jar. That vinegar is doing real flavour work, and it is the main thing separating a Kalamata from other naturally ripened black olives such as Gaeta.

How they are made

1. Picked ripe. Unlike green olives, Kalamatas are left on the tree until fully coloured, which is why they are soft enough to bruise and are usually picked by hand.
2. Split or scored. Each olive is slit with a knife or cracked, so brine can reach the flesh. This is the step that distinguishes the traditional method.
3. Brined. Weeks to months in salt brine, during which fermentation removes the bitter oleuropein and develops the flavour.
4. Finished. Packed in fresh brine, usually with red wine vinegar, sometimes with olive oil on top.

Note what is absent: no lye, and no oxidation. That is the entire difference between a Kalamata and the mild tinned black olive on a takeaway pizza, which we cover in why canned black olives are black.

Using them

• Raw is where they are best: on a board, in a Greek salad, alongside feta and good bread.
• Tapenade, where their fruitiness carries the whole paste.
• Braises, particularly lamb, added late. See braising with olives.
• Pizza, on simple pies only, and in about a third the quantity of tinned olives. See are Kalamata olives good on pizza.
• Not for long cooking. Ripe flesh collapses. Twenty minutes is plenty.

Buying

Buy them with the stones in. Pitted Kalamatas sit longer in brine, absorb more salt and lose firmness, and the stone comes out under the flat of a knife in a second. Check the ingredients: olives, water, salt, red wine vinegar, olive oil is a good list. Anything with added colouring is not a Kalamata whatever the label says, because a real one gets its colour from ripening.

Once opened, refrigerate and keep them under the liquid. Anything above the surface will soften and discolour within days.

If you cannot find them

Gaeta from Italy is the closest match for sharpness and firm texture, and Greek Amfissa is a good second. Dry-cured Moroccan olives work but are far stronger, so use fewer. Full list in the olive substitutes guide. For the direct comparisons, see Kalamata versus black olives.

Frequently asked questions

What does Kalamata mean?

Kalamata is a city and region in Messinia, in the southern Peloponnese, and within the EU it is a Protected Designation of Origin for table olives from that area. The cultivar itself is properly called Kalamon.

What is the difference between Kalamon and Kalamata olives?

Kalamon is the variety, Kalamata is the protected regional designation. A Kalamon olive grown outside Messinia is the same fruit but cannot be labelled Kalamata PDO in the EU.

Are Kalamata olives the same as black olives?

No. Kalamatas are naturally ripened and brine-fermented, giving a firm, winey, salty olive. Most tinned black olives are picked green and turned black by oxidation, which makes them mild and soft.

Why are Kalamata olives so expensive?

They are picked fully ripe and therefore usually by hand to avoid bruising, each olive is slit before brining, and the cure runs for weeks or months. The PDO versions carry certification costs as well.

Should you buy Kalamata olives with stones in?

Yes. Pitted ones spend longer in brine, take up more salt and go soft. The stone lifts out easily under the flat of a knife.