Do you despise olives and olive oil but don’t want to take any chances since they’re so salty? Although they have health benefits, it’s natural, many individuals dislike olives because they are excessively salty, especially green and kalamata olives. Black olives appear to be the most mild, and low-sodium versions are frequently available.
What if you love green olives but wondering why olives salty? What causes them to be so salty, and is there anything you can do about it? As it turns out, there’s a logical explanation for all of that salt, and yes, you may control it! Take a look.
Why are olives so salty?
Because olives must be cured in a brine or salt water, they are highly salty. Fresh raw olives contain considerable bitterness as well as natural saltiness. The end product is quite salty, somewhat bitter, and somewhat sour. For most individuals, the mix is quite pleasant and it’s difficult to stop eating olives once they’ve started.
There’s a way to get rid of the majority of salt even if you need to cut back on it or don’t want too much salt in your food. Let’s start with an explanation of how olives are preserved in a brine, which we’ll get to later. First, let us explain why olives must be cured in a salt solution, to begin with.
Olives need brining or lye to be edible
Fresh, raw olives are extremely harsh. You can’t even consume an entire olive because to their bitterness. Greeks and Romans from thousands of years ago discovered that first, you may trust them.
Why are olives so unpalatable ? Oleuropein is a chemical found in olives that can account for up to 14% of the olive’s total weight. Soaking fresh olives in water was originally intended to remove the bitterness. Make sure the water has been changed and drawn out more, until they’re edible. The only issue is that this procedure takes a long time, thus salt was added to the water to speed things up.
Brine dissolves cell walls and causes fermentation, much like pickled olives and sauerkraut. This process is the most popular and is frequently used for green and kalamata olives. If you’re unfamiliar with kalamata olives, they’re the crimson, long ones that are extra salty and delicious.
It was discovered that a tiny quantity of lye could also be used to break down and remove oleuropein. That being said, most olives are preserved with salt or a brine solution before they’re fermented. Green and kalamata olives are always treated in this manner, whereas black olives are frequently treated with lye.
How to fix overly salty olives?
Okay, so how can you deal with those salty, salty olives? The ideal technique is to leave them in cold, fresh water for a few hours. Depending on how salty the olives were originally and how salty you want them to be now
The length of time it takes to make this recipe varies depending on how the olives begin and what you want them to taste like at the end. Keep in mind that when you do this, you are removing bitterness and sourness from the olives while also reducing flavor.
Is the salt in olives bad for you?
If you’re eating olives with a lot of salty foods, they can be harmful. You should avoid consuming too much salt if you eat olives on a regular basis. nA handful of salty olives every now and again will not harm you, however continuing to consume jars of salty olives day after day might cause high blood pressure.
If you’re following a sodium-restricted diet or your doctor recommends that you reduce your salt intake, then the salt in olives is useless. You can always eliminate it by soaking the fruit in a basin of cold water as we previously said.
While it is true that eating salty olives every now and then is about as dangerous as eating any other salty snack, there’s one thing you should know: it isn’t nearly as nutritious. It’s great if it’s a rare treat; it’s terrible if it’s something you do on a daily basis.
Should you wash olives?
If you’re wondering whether or not to wash olives, especially if you’re concerned about them being bathed in lye, bear in mind that all olives are treated with something. Even the lye-treated ones are safe.
If you want to, you may wash them, but only the ones you’ll use right away. So if you drain and wash an entire jar of olives before eating just a few of them, they will go bad quickly.
Something significant is taking place: you’re introducing new bacteria, and since there is no brine to keep them at bay, they may grow. It’s best to wash only a few items at a time.
Although the outer surface of a potato is coated with a thin layer of salt, rinsing them in cold water isn’t enough to remove all of it. It won’t remove much salt, but it will rinse some off.
Is there anything you can do about the bitterness?
Since olives are naturally bitter, there’s not much you can do. They’re already edible when they’re available to the public, as processed, fermented olives. All of the bitterness that may be extracted has already been extracted.
You may try a few things, though. You might use the cold water soak to remove salt and perhaps a trace of bitterness. Because each olive is unique, outcomes may vary.
Or you might go for black olives, which are the least salty and most pleasant of all olives. If you love the pungent flavor of a green olive, try adding some lemon juice or a few drops of vinegar to black olives.
This is all there is to it. Because they must be significantly less bitter, salty olives are salty. It’s a little of a give-and-take situation. If you’re feeling the salt too much, try soaking them in cold water. It also works for white cheeses that are overly salty, as well as pickles and other foods.