ABSTRACT
The origin of olive tree cultivation is lost in the mists of time. It is believed that it first appeared in the Middle East and then spread all over the countries of the Mediterranean basin (Uylaşer and Yildiz 2014). Based on historical or even mythological information, it is unclear whether the first use of the olive fruit was for olive oil extraction or direct consumption after some substantial processing. Nevertheless, it is denite that olives constitute a staple food in the Mediterranean diet since ancient times. The first preparation of olives was natural black dry-salted olives, that is, ripe black olives mixed with dry salt to remove bitterness. In Greece, in the areas of Attica, Viotia, the Aegean islands, and Crete, a special cultivar was very popular known today as “Thrubolea” that seems to be the first used for consumption (Balatsouras 2004). It has the peculiarity of losing bitterness while still attached on the tree. The fruit becomes sweet and readily edible after a slight treatment with salt. From dry salting, table olive processing continued in water and salt (brine) with frequent changes to remove bitterness, a technique that is still in use today, primarily on small-scale processing. It must be stressed that olive processing was for many centuries empirical, initially on family level and subsequently on small-medium-and industrial scale. The advance of technology in the last 100 years and the gradual transition from empirical to scientific knowledge has resulted in the development of new processing methods and the production of a wide range of commercial products with improved quality and organoleptic attributes.
