where do olives come from
Olives are easily bruised and must be handled gently, especially âtable olives,â meaning those intended to be eaten â as antipasti, condiments, or used in sauces â as opposed to crushed into oil. Most of the table olives we eat come from Italy, Greece, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, and California. The varieties of table olives harvested in the Mediterranean area are particularly rich â such as the Picholine and NiÃ§oise from France; the Calamata from Greece; and the Gaeta, Taggiasca and Bella di Cerignola cultivars from Italy.