Oil-dried olives are dried in salt and then soaked in olive oil to restore their softness and act as a preservative. They have a rich, meaty flavor and can be used in a variety of dishes. They should be stored in a cool, dry place to prevent the oil from going rancid.
Oil-dried olives are olives that have been dry-dried and then soaked in olive oil to restore their softness and act as a preservative. The resulting olives are very dense, with a rich, meaty flavor that some people find quite pleasant, and can be distinguished by their wrinkled appearance. Many markets stock dried olives in oil, along with an assortment of other olive varieties, and they’re also very easy to make at home, assuming you have access to fresh olives.
When olives dried in oil are produced, they are first packed in salt and left to dry. Traditionally, the olives are packed in canvas bags with layers of salt and then hung in the open air. The heat and wind draw moisture out of the olives and into the salt, creating dried, shriveled and hardened olives. These olives can be packaged as-is, in which case they must be rehydrated before use, or they can be packaged in oil to produce cured olives.
For the oil curing stage, the olives are simply packed in an airtight container and then oil is poured over them to cover them. In many regions, flavored oils are used, with ingredients such as rosemary and thyme being very common. The oil slightly rehydrates the olives, giving them a plumper appearance, and preserves them so they can be stored or shipped.
Often, oil-dried olives are made with their pits, so some caution is needed when eating them. They can be used in a huge assortment of dishes. Many people like to eat them by hand as a snack, for example, and they can also be stirred into an olive spread, added to baked goods once their pits have been removed, and mixed into sauces. If cooked for too long, however, oil-dried olives can acquire an unpleasant bitter taste, so when adding them to sauces, be careful to keep them fresh and flavorful.
You should store uncured olives in a cool, dry place, preferably in the dark. Once you open a package, you can keep them in the cold pantry, if you have one, or in the refrigerator. Keep in mind that the oil can go rancid, so try to keep your hardened olives from getting too hot.
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