Olive – Fruit or Vegetable? And How Does an Olive Become Olive Oil?

Is an olive a fruit or a vegetable?

It is a question that comes up surprisingly often. Olives are usually served alongside vegetables, salads, and savoury dishes, so it is easy to think of them as vegetables.

Botanically, however, an olive is a fruit.

And understanding what an olive actually is makes the journey from olive tree to extra virgin olive oil even more fascinating.

An Olive Is a Fruit

The olive comes from the olive tree, Olea europaea, which belongs to the Oleaceae family. This is the same plant family that includes jasmine, lilac, and forsythia.

The fruit produced by the olive tree is called a drupe. A drupe is a fruit with a fleshy outer part surrounding a single hard seed.

Peaches, plums, cherries, and mangoes are also examples of drupes.

So while olives may not look or taste like the fruit we usually associate with the word "fruit", botanically they belong to exactly the same category.

Not All Olives Are Grown for the Same Purpose

Although all olives are fruits, not all olive varieties are intended for the same purpose.

Some olive varieties are particularly well suited for eating as table olives. Others are mainly cultivated for olive oil production, while some varieties can be used for both.

The characteristics we look for are different. Table olives are generally valued for factors such as fruit size, flesh-to-stone ratio, texture, and flavour after curing.

For olive oil production, factors such as oil content, aroma, flavour, stability, and the natural composition of the fruit are especially important.

This is one reason why the world of olives is so diverse. Thousands of olive varieties exist, and each has its own characteristics and traditional uses.

Can You Eat an Olive Straight from the Tree?

Unlike a ripe peach or a sweet cherry, a freshly picked olive is extremely bitter and astringent. So while an olive is botanically a fruit, eating one straight from the tree is not usually a pleasant experience.

The bitterness comes largely from naturally occurring phenolic compounds, especially oleuropein. These compounds are part of the olive's natural defence system and give fresh olives their characteristic bitterness and astringency.

Depending on the olive variety and stage of ripeness, the experience can be surprisingly intense. This is why table olives are traditionally cured using methods such as brining, dry salting, or other controlled processes. Curing reduces the bitterness and changes the texture and flavour, making the olives enjoyable to eat.

The olives used to make extra virgin olive oil take a different journey. Instead of being cured for eating, they are taken to the mill after harvest, where the oil naturally contained in the fruit is extracted through mechanical processes.

Interestingly, some of the same natural compounds that make a fresh olive too bitter to eat can contribute desirable bitterness and peppery sensations to a good extra virgin olive oil.

How Does an Olive Become Olive Oil?

Extra virgin olive oil is the oil naturally contained in the olive fruit, extracted using mechanical processes without chemical treatment.

The process begins in the olive grove.

1. Harvesting

Harvest timing is one of the most important decisions in olive oil production.

Olives can be harvested at different stages of maturity, and the timing affects not only the flavour and aroma of the resulting oil but also the amount of oil that can be extracted.

In general, harvesting earlier in the ripening process means that the olives contain less oil, so the producer obtains a lower quantity of oil from the same amount of fruit.

However, early-harvest olives can produce an oil with more pronounced fresh, green, and fruity characteristics and higher levels of naturally occurring phenolic compounds. The oil can preserve more of the distinctive character of the fruit.

As the fruit continues to mature, the amount of oil generally increases, while the flavour profile and composition of the oil change. The resulting oil can become softer, rounder, and less intensely green.

For producers, therefore, harvest timing involves finding the right balance between yield, flavour, freshness, and the characteristics they want to preserve from the fruit.

There is no single perfect harvest date for every olive. Variety, climate, growing conditions, and the desired style of the oil all play a role.

2. Getting the Olives to the Mill

Once harvested, the olives need to be processed quickly.

Time, oxygen, and heat can all affect the quality of the fruit. For this reason, careful producers aim to bring the olives to the mill as soon as possible after harvesting.

3. Crushing and Mixing

At the mill, the olives are cleaned and crushed, breaking the fruit down into a paste.

The paste is then gently mixed in a controlled process called malaxation. This helps the tiny oil droplets come together so they can be separated from the rest of the olive paste.

Temperature control is important throughout the process.

4. Separating the Oil

Modern olive mills use mechanical separation systems to separate the oil from the water and solid parts of the fruit.

No chemical extraction is needed.

The result is fresh olive oil that still carries many of the characteristic aromas and flavours of the original fruit.

Why Do Different Olive Oils Look and Taste Different?

Not every olive produces the same oil.

Just as different grape varieties produce different wines, different olive varieties can produce oils with very different aromas, flavours, textures, and colours.

Growing conditions matter too. Climate, soil, rainfall, altitude, and harvest timing can all influence the final result.

This is one of the reasons olive oil is such a fascinating natural product: the oil reflects both the variety of the olive and the place where it grows.

The Golden Colour of Our Lesvos Olive Oil

Our own organic extra virgin olive oil is produced on the island of Lesvos, Greece, from Kolovi olives, a variety native to Lesvos.

One of the natural characteristics of our olive oil is its beautiful golden colour. Many people associate high-quality olive oil with a deep green appearance, but colour alone does not determine quality.

The golden colour of our oil is a natural characteristic of the Kolovi variety and is also influenced by factors such as the stage of ripeness at harvest. Different olive varieties and different harvest timings can produce oils ranging from vibrant green to golden yellow.

Kolovi is closely connected to the island of Lesvos and is part of its long olive-growing tradition. For us, using this native variety is not simply about producing olive oil; it is about preserving the character and identity of the place where our oil is made.

This is also why olive oil can be so fascinating to explore. The variety of the olive, the land where it grows, the season, and the decisions made during production all leave their mark on the final oil.

From Olive Fruit to Extra Virgin Olive Oil

There is something quite remarkable about the fact that a fruit that is almost unpleasant to eat straight from the tree can become such a versatile ingredient.

The particular olive variety, its stage of ripeness, and the way the fruit is handled all influence the oil that is eventually produced.

The result can be a peppery, aromatic extra virgin olive oil that works beautifully in both simple and elaborate cooking.

Drizzled over a tomato salad, used to roast vegetables, mixed into a dressing, added to a marinade, or even used in baking, olive oil allows us to enjoy the character of the olive in a completely different form.

Why Freshness Matters

Once the oil has been extracted, the journey is not over.

Extra virgin olive oil is sensitive to light, oxygen, and heat. Good storage is therefore essential to protecting its flavour and natural characteristics.

This is also why we believe it is important to know where an olive oil comes from, how it was produced, and when the olives were harvested.

At Two Foodies, we share information about our harvest and production on our website because we want our customers to understand the journey of the oil from the olive grove to their kitchen.

From the Olive Tree to Your Kitchen

So, is an olive a fruit or a vegetable?

A fruit.

But the more interesting story is what happens after that.

A fruit grows on an olive tree. Its variety and growing environment influence its characteristics. The fruit is harvested at a carefully chosen stage, transported to the mill, and mechanically processed to extract its oil.

From there, with the right storage and handling, that oil can become part of everyday meals for months to come.

For us at Two Foodies, producing olive oil is about much more than filling bottles. It is about preserving the character of the olive fruit and bringing a small part of Lesvos and the Mediterranean to Finnish kitchens.