Olives are not edible raw because of their bitterness. However, if they are soaked in salt water, the hard stone fruit becomes a valuable and tasty food. In the traditional cuisine of Mallorca, the "olives senceres" and the "olives trencades" play the most important role. The Mallorcan way of preserving olives is very simple. We present both preparation methods to you here.

Olives senceres - Green whole olives
Preparation:

1. Wash the olives
2. Boil the water, let it cool and put it in the container
3. Add salt. To determine the amount of salt needed, put a raw egg in the water and add salt until the egg floats to the surface of the water. The amount of salt in the water is then 20-30 grams per litre.
4. Add the olives
5. Cover the vessel with a plate

To reduce or even eliminate the bitter taste of the olives, you can repeat this procedure as often as you like. The contents should always be covered with salt water.

After about 2 months of rest in a cool, dark place, the olives are edible. During consumption, they remain in the brine. Before serving, rinse briefly with cold water.
 

Olives trencades - Green "broken" olives
The most popular way of preparing olives on Mallorca is without doubt the "oliva verda trencada" - the olive broken open before pickling. This is how it is done:

You will need:

• Fresh green olives
• 1 natural lemon, fennel herb, bay leaves, garlic to taste
• Water
• Salt
• Ceramic, glass or plastic container
• Wooden mallet or rolling pin

Preparation:

1. Wash the olives
2. Beat each olive with a wooden mallet (or rolling pin) until it pops open a little, but without damaging the pit.
3. Soak the olives in water for 1 week to remove the bitter taste - renew the water every day. After 1 week in a clean water bath, the olives can be pickled.
4. Prepare the brine. To determine the salt content (20-30g/litre) in the water needed for preservation: see "Egg procedure" in the instructions for "Green whole olives".
5. Put the olives mixed with the lemon pieces, fennel herb, bay leaf and possibly garlic cloves into the jar.
6. Fill with the brine until the contents are covered and cover with a plate.
7. Store in a dark and cool place

The "burst open" olives pickled in this way are already edible after about 4 weeks.

Here we present the traditional Mallorcan way of preserving olives. The preservation of olives in brine is without doubt one of the oldest methods on the island. Of course, you can also add other herbs, such as rosemary, according to your taste.

Important: The olives should not be removed with a metal spoon but with a wooden spoon.