Fruit or Vegetable? What are Olives?
The olive is a fruit from the olive tree, also known as Olea europaea. The parent family of this tree species is Oleaceae, which includes the flowering trees lilac, jasmine & forsythia.
The olive tree produces a type of fruit called a drupe. A drupe is a fruit with a fleshy outer part and a single, hard seed on the interior. Some other common drupes include peach, plum, cherry and mango.
Why do some think an olive is a vegetable?
Not all drupes are juicy and sweet right off the tree. The drupe classification also includes fruits like coffee and pistachio, both of which are cultivated primarily for their seeds.
We often encounter the olive fruit preserved in a salt water brine. This preparation is delicious for a savory snack. You can find green olives, black olives, pitted and unpitted, and even stuffed olives.