SC - olives

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Stefan li Rous wrote:
> 
> > Olives very in color according to their ripeness OR their method of
> > preparation. I would assume that cured olives are meant because when using
> > raw olives for this recipe it tastes horrible and is unpalatably bitter.
> 
> Ok. When you made this recipe using raw olives did it taste so bad you
> threw it out at that point? Or did you wait and see if in the meantime
> they "cured" in the oil/vinegar mixture? How long did you wait?

This is a good point. At some point the olives probably would cure to
some extent in this marinade. However, in spite of the fact that this
ought to keep a fairly long time, Cato says the relish is ready
immediately. This was why I assumed the olives were cured.
 
> Today we stuff olives with pimentos, right? Are there any referances
> to olives being stuffed in period with this or other items?

I haven't heard of this, but it would make sense, since the seed cavity
of things like dates were stuffed. I have a sneaking suspicion, but no
hard proof, that tuna-stuffed olives might have existed in period.
 
> Olives were pressed for their oil. Were these ripe olives or still
> green? What was done with the crushed pulp?

Both ripe and green olives can be pressed for oil, but I think the oil
from green olives lasts longer than that from ripe olives before
becoming rancid. The crushed pulp can be heated and processed for
pressing out more oil (said oil being cheap and surprisingly good, IMO,
and known as pomace olive oil). Whether or not this process is period I
couldn't say. The pomace (which really just means pressed pulp of
whatever, presumably originally a reference to apples) can also be
pressed into bricks and dried; it makes a good fuel. 

> Hmm, for that matter,
> what was done with the crushed pulp from squeezing grapes for wine?

Animal feed. Fermented and distilled it is the basis for marc and grappa
brandies. Maybe plastics nowadays... ;  ) .

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com