Castelvetrano Olives

What are Castelvetrano olives?

Bring the taste of Sicily to your dinner table with Castelvetrano olives, Italy’s number one table snack. With meaty, tender flesh and a mild, buttery flavor, Italian Castelvetrano olives melt in your mouth, making them seriously snack-able in the world of olives. Named after a town in Southwestern Italy, these olives are nutty, velvety, and delightfully sweet, which is why they are called dolce (Italian for sweet) olives in Italy.

The quintessential Italian snack from the Trapani region, they are cured in a lightly salted brine, which consists of a combination of extra virgin olive oil, water, and sea salt. A Nocerella del Belice olive cultivar, Castelvetrano olives are grown in the Valle del Belice, the fertile valley of olive groves situated on the western side of Sicily. The fruit is grown for table olives and premium quality olive oil.

What makes Castelvetrano olives different?

Compared to darker colored varieties, which feature an intense flavor profile of salty and briny, Castelvetrano olives have a mild saltiness and a crisp, tender bite, making them a favorite nibble at cocktail parties. Considered the finest quality olives, the taste of the this variety is often compared to a fine olive oil, which isn’t surprising since some of the top-rated olive oil comes from Italian Castelvetrano olives, too. Hand-picked on a farmer-owned estate, these premium olives are harvested young and then processed within four hours of being picked; that’s is why they have a bright green color and firm texture. Supermarket Italy offers both pitted olives and whole olives.

What do I eat with them?

Castelvetrano olives add delicious pops of flavor to a long list of Italian dishes and appetizers, which makes them an essential ingredient for every cook’s arsenal. A must-have for an antipasti platter, Castelvetrano olives pair wonderfully with cured meats, Italian cheeses, and fruit. Cleanse the palate with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc and make a toast to the Old World tradition of fine imported food from Italy.