Green olives

They are ready to eat, but a quick rinse under cold water removes some of the salty brine. Pat them dry before adding them to a dish so they do not water it down.

Stir them into pasta puttanesca, chop them into a tomato salad or add them to a tray of roast vegetables near the end of cooking. Their briny flavour also works well in sauces and tapenade.

Keep them in the fridge, submerged in their brine in a clean, sealed container. Use a clean utensil to take them out, and follow the storage instructions on the jar.

They are usually too bitter to enjoy freshly picked. Green olives are cured—often in brine or lye—to remove much of that bitterness before they are sold.

Green olives are picked before they are fully ripe and are often firmer and more bitter. Black olives are generally riper, though curing and processing also affect their colour, texture and flavour.

No: remove the stones and discard them. For young children, serve olives pitted and cut into small pieces, as a whole olive can be a choking hazard.

They can be: brining adds salt, and the amount varies between products. Rinsing helps remove some of the brine; 1260 mg of sodium is listed per 100 g.