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 he collection and the use of olives as food have its origins in Prehistoric Greece.
The Olive history is identical with that of Olive Oil. Thus, there is no question where the man used for the first time the olive as food; this took place in Crete about 3500 BC in the Early Minoan times. Since then, 5500 years passed and little things changed.
Strictly speaking, the only difference from the antiquity and the modern times is just the broadness of the expansion of the olive tree.
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oday, commercial olive production generally occurs in two geographic belts around the world, between 30º and 45º (both North and South), where the climatic requirements for growth and fruitfulness can be found.
Most of the production of olives takes place in the Mediterranean Basin.
The Olive fruit is classed botanically as a drupe, similar to the peach or plum. Within the stone are one or two seeds.
Olives tend to have maximum oil content (about 20-30 percent of fresh weight) and greatest weight six to eight months after the blossoms appear. At that stage they are black and will continue to cling to the tree for several weeks. Fruits for oil extraction are allowed to mature, but, for processing as food, immature fruits are picked or shaken off the tree.
Olives are grown mainly for the production of olive oil. Fresh, unprocessed olives are inedible because of their extreme bitterness resulting from a glucoside that can be neutralized by treatments with a dilute alkali such as lye. Salt applications also dispel some of the bitterness. The processed fruit may be eaten either ripe or green.
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 n our days, the best olive type for food is considered the Greek "Kalamata Olive" (Calamon Olive), an almond-shaped Greek olive that ranges in length from about 1/2 to 1 inch.
Kalamatas olives (Calamon) are a dark eggplant color and have an excellent flavor that can be rich and fruity. They're often slit to allow the wine vinegar "Marinade" in which they're soaked to penetrate the flesh.
Kalamatas are marketed packed in either olive oil or vinegar. This type of olive is found exclusively in Greece.
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 ther important types of Greek olives are the Black Olives and the Green Olives.
Olives are selected based on three factors, which are the year of harvest, the type and the size. Olives should be eaten within 18 months after production date. Their size varies from very small to giant called as "mammoth". Olives are measured by their number per litre of net content. One litre of net content can hold from 80 to 400 olives depending on the size.
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