# Olives with pits in Greek salad **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 29, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968 "2015-09-29T17:55:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/1 "2015-09-29T17:55:36Z")
Seems like every time I order a “Greek” salad, the olives have pits in them. Now, granted, I’m getting these salads from low-quality sources like diners and bars. So I probably shouldn’t expect much … but damn, it’s annoying to have to stop and dig the pit out of each olive I encounter in the course of eating the salad. Are pre-pitted olives really that much more expensive? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/2 "2015-09-29T18:07:08Z")
For some reason, kalamata olives are usually sold with pits in them. IIRC when I worked at a high-end restaurant and made salads, the kalamata olives had pits in them too. I don’t know why they commonly are sold with pits, while pitted black olives are the norm (and also, one can purchase pitted kalamata olives). These two pages at least confirm that they are usually sold with seeds: > **[What are Kalamata Olives? (with pictures)](https://www.delightedcooking.com/what-are-kalamata-olives.htm)** > > Kalamata olives are large, deep purple olives from the Kalamata region of Greece. Known for their incredible flavor, Kalamata... > **[13 Types of Olives You Should Add to Your Charcuterie Boards](https://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/cook-with-fruits-and-vegetables/olive-types/)** > > Whether you're making olive tapenade or another recipe with olives—or simply serving a selection of green and black olives with a glass of wine—here's a guide to some of the many great types of olives available today. There are far more olive... ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/3 "2015-09-29T18:11:29Z")
Indeed, I recently purchased a half-pound of pitted kalamata olives, and have been enjoying them greatly. I don’t remember how much they cost, but I don’t think it was outrageously expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/4 "2015-09-29T18:23:00Z")
Seems to me that olives with the pits still in are considerably more expensive than pitted olives, and putting them in a salad would be a way of showing that they’re fresher and of higher quality than pitted olives that might have been sitting in a jar of brine for God knows how long. It’s not like it’s that hard to slice the meat off the seed with your knife before mixing the salad up. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/5 "2015-09-29T18:32:50Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > It’s not like it’s that hard to slice the meat off the seed with your knife before mixing the salad up. I expect a restaurant salad to be served already mixed up, and indeed they usually are, which means I either have to hunt through the salad initially, searching for olives, or stop and attend to each one as I encounter it. It’s silly. I shouldn’t need a knife to eat a salad. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/6 "2015-09-29T18:52:50Z")
> [@WF\_Tomba](#): > > I expect a restaurant salad to be served already mixed up Maybe you and I dine in different sorts of establishments, but I wouldn’t expect that unless I had specifically asked for the salad to be served tossed. In my experience, the default is a bed of greens with the vegetables and meat arranged on top and the dressing either drizzled over the entire salad or served on the side. In any event, the only time I’ve personally received a salad with pit-in olives was at a Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza place here in Olympia, in a simple salad of greens, artichokes, olives, and mushrooms, with bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the side for dressing it to your taste. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/7 "2015-09-29T19:15:20Z")
I’m used to kalamata olives having pits in salads, and I tend to buy them with pits when I shop. On the rare occasions I have to buy pitted, either because the store is out of ones with pits or because I need a large number for a recipe and don’t feel like pitting a ton of olives, the pitted ones seem mushy and less appetizing. Their flesh doesn’t seem as firm as some other varieties of olive. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/8 "2015-09-29T19:25:57Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Maybe you and I dine in different sorts of establishments, but I wouldn’t expect that unless I had specifically asked for the salad to be served tossed. In my experience, the default is a bed of greens with the vegetables and meat arranged on top and the dressing either drizzled over the entire salad or served on the side. This has been my experience too. The salad is never pre-tossed, and often the pieces of meat and vegetables are entirely too large and I have to cut it up myself, as well. It’s part of the reason I rarely order salads in restaurants anymore, they’re just too much work. Also, you’d think if they expected me to toss the salad myself, they’d give me a bigger bowl. Just stirring the dressing around makes me spill half the salad on the table. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/9 "2015-09-29T19:26:32Z")
Well, regardless of whether the salad is served in a tossed or untossed state, I maintain that removing the pits from the olives is preparatory work that should be done in the kitchen, not left to the customer. The idea that serving olives with the pits in would make the customer think the food was “fresher” is absurd to me. The pits don’t prove anything about the freshness of the olives. If you don’t make the customer chop up their own greens, you shouldn’t make them pit their own olives. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/10 "2015-09-29T19:32:03Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > In any event, the only time I’ve personally received a salad with pit-in olives was at a Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza place here in Olympia, in a simple salad of greens, artichokes, olives, and mushrooms, with bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the side for dressing it to your taste. So they made you pit your own olives AND mix your own dressing? Did they bother to cut up the vegetables? ---
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/11 "2015-09-29T20:58:23Z")
> [@WF\_Tomba](#): > > Well, regardless of whether the salad is served in a tossed or untossed state, I maintain that removing the pits from the olives is preparatory work that should be done in the kitchen, not left to the customer. The idea that serving olives with the pits in would make the customer think the food was “fresher” is absurd to me. The pits don’t prove anything about the freshness of the olives. > > If you don’t make the customer chop up their own greens, you shouldn’t make them pit their own olives. I’m with you on this. I also hate when they serve shellfish with the shells still attached in things like cioppino or paella. When served something to eat with a fork or spoon, I don’t want to have to use my fingers to go picking around in it. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/12 "2015-09-29T21:32:29Z")
> [@WF\_Tomba](#): > > Are pre-pitted olives really that much more expensive? I don’t know about expense, but they are inferior. They go mushy. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > For some reason, kalamata olives are usually sold with pits in them. They go mushy, that’s why. > [@WF\_Tomba](#): > > lThe pits don’t prove anything about the freshness of the olives. They establish that the olives were not factory-pitted. ---
**Author:** ![ElderSign](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eldersign/32/8263_2.png) [@ElderSign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElderSign)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/13 "2015-09-29T21:35:40Z")
I agree with the OP. Here is the counterargument from [stackexchange](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/17571/why-does-olives-with-the-pit-left-always-taste-better-than-pitted-ones). The person says that olives with pits taste better. “When an olive is picked and brined, the olive skin provides a barrier between the tasty fruit and the liquid medium. When the fruit is pierced to remove the seed, the unprotected pulp of the fruit is in constant, direct contact with the brine liquid. This direct contact allows the natural juices, which are protected by the olive skin in regular, unpitted, olives, to leach out into the brine liquid, reducing the flavor proportionally.” [Another olive fan says the same thing](http://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/if-you-re-eating-pitted-olives-you-re-doing-it-wrong-article): " Pits give olives their firm structure. With them, they’re the shimmering highlight of charcuterie and meze platters. Without the pits, olives are a briny, saggy mess. They become a deflated, literal shell of their former selves and belong virtually nowhere." ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/14 "2015-09-29T21:54:07Z")
All right, I concede that olives sold pre-pitted may be mushy and less flavorful. But if the restaurant removed the pits just prior to serving the food, the olives would still be firm and full of flavor. You wouldn’t say, “Oh, these olives have no pits. I bet they were pitted in the factory!” You’d say, “Mmm, what delicious, plump, obviously fresh olives!” You shouldn’t have to leave the food in a semi-inedible state just to prove that it’s fresh. The freshness should be evident in the taste and texture. If you make a salad with walnuts in it, do you leave them in the shells? Maybe give the customer a nutcracker to open them with? A salad with pits left in the olives makes as much sense as that. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/15 "2015-09-29T22:21:13Z")
> [@WF\_Tomba](#): > > it’s annoying to have to stop and dig the pit out of each olive I encounter in the course of eating the salad. Not sure if I’m parsing this wrong, but… You’re not supposed to remove the pits before inserting the olives into your face. You insert the olives, the spit out the pits. Do it the way you eat cherries. Olives with pits tend do tend to taste a lot better, IMO. Mmm… olives. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/16 "2015-09-29T22:31:54Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > You’re not supposed to remove the pits before inserting the olives into your face. You insert the olives, the spit out the pits. Do it the way you eat cherries. I’ve never been able to do that, with olives or cherries. I eat a cherry by biting off half the flesh, squeezing the pit out with my fingers, then eating the other half of the flesh. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/17 "2015-09-30T01:11:53Z")
In Greece the olives in the salad come with pits. It’s authenticity! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/18 "2015-09-30T09:54:18Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > You’re not supposed to remove the pits before inserting the olives into your face. You insert the olives, the spit out the pits. Do it the way you eat cherries. So much this. And I don’t understand the aversion to using one’s hands when eating shellfish, either. That’s _expected_ when you get seafood in the shell. Hell, there’s a lovely seafood restaurant locally that doesn’t give you any cutlery - mussel shells _are_ your implements. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/19 "2015-09-30T11:19:24Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > You’re not supposed to remove the pits before inserting the olives into your face. You insert the olives, the spit out the pits. This. Except… Don’t know how strict a definition you are using for “spit”. I was taught to put the olive in my mouth, remove the fruit by biting through and peeling with my teeth (mouth closed, of course), then raise my fork back up- right against my closed lips, then gently eject the pit onto the fork, lower the fork and use it to place the pit onto the side of the plate. When I buy kalamata olives for use at home, I buy them pitted because I am lazy. I can, however, _definitely_ taste the superior quality when I am served non-pitted kalamata olives in a restaurant. As to why the restaurant doesn’t pit them just before serving them, without the in-mouth technique it seems unproductively time consuming to pit enough olives for an entire evening’s dinner service. Done by hand and knife? Each and every olive one at a time? Ugh. They’d have to raise the price of each salad by $10 just to cover labor costs! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968/20 "2015-09-30T13:49:04Z")
In Europe the olives on PIZZA come with the pits still in. I have zero idea what the hell I’m supposed to do with that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olives-with-pits-in-greek-salad/732968.md?page=2)