The Nocellara del Belice olive has two DOP protections: both Valle del Belìce DOP olive oil and Nocellara del Belice DOP table olives have protected status in the European Union. Odysea Nocellara olives are harvested by hand from late September to October at the very beginning of the harvest period, while the olives are still young and have just turned a distinct bright green colour. Castelvetranos are grown in the Belice Valley in Sicily, so another name for the variety is Nocellara del Belice. Although its origin was believed to be Spanish, scientists at the University of Spain at Cordoba were unable to link it to Spain's 700 olive varieties. This process serves two important purposes: It quickly removes the olives’ natural bitter compounds while maintaining their crispness and meaty texture.

They are harvested young and unlike other olives, they’re not cured: they’re simply washed in lye and water for a few weeks until the bitter flavor is removed. I like them served over spaghetti with capers and pine nuts, or simple served out of bowl for snacking.Bon Appétit may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers.

Because everyone loves them… even those who don’t think they like olives can’t get enough Castelvetrano olives.

Keep a jar (for a few weeks) of these in your refrigerator to put out when unexpected guests stop by! The Castelvetrano olive is similar to the Frescatrano olive in its flavor because it has a similar curing process. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.