More than 70% of the calories in olives, are contributed by the olive oil calories that they contain inside. This percentage can vary between 10 and 30% depending on the types of olive tress and the preparation made.
Although they represent an important energy contribution. It should be remembered that the natural fats present in olive oil help to control appetite and can support weight loss.
Calories in black olives
In principle, the calories in black olives should be somewhat lower than the green ones. This is because during manufacturing they are subjected to an oxidation process. During this process, the olives come into contact with oxygen (O2) that is combined with carbon, releasing C02.
However, the caloric losses that occur during oxidation can barely be appreciated and the olive variety used has a greater weight. The variety most commonly used in the production of black table olives is Hojiblanca with a average oil content.
Sevillana Manzanilla fine has a medium oil yield and although outside Spain it is used for dressing in Black, in Spain it is preferred to dress in green.
The Manzanilla Cacereña olives has a low oil yield. They are normally used to produce Campo Real style green olives, although they allow to obtain black olives of excellent quality, highly appreciated internationally. For example, the black olives with bone (Cacereña) of DIA, have 157 kcal per 100 grams. Black olives without bone SERPIS brand, 169 kcal every 100 g.
Energy value of green olives
As we have seen, there is hardly any difference in calories between green and black olives if the same variety is used in the elaboration.
Other varieties, used as table olives (Verdial de Badajoz, Cornicabra or Ergot) have high fat yield. Therefore, calories from olives normally seasoned in green, have some calories more than usual. For example, the Picantonas green olives of the brand Jope, have 189 Kcal per 100 grams.
Hojiblanca and Manzanilla fine, are varieties with an intermediate fatty content.
On the other hand, Manzanilla Cacereña and the renowned fat olives have a low oil yield. In addition, their olives are consumed green and fat olives are usually sold accompanied by pickles (Kimbos).
Calories stuffed olives and pickles
In the calories in stuffed olives, the stuffing used is quite important. Thus, stuffed with low calories and an important weight such as the pickle, reduce the energy values labeled. For example, pickled cucumber olives made by the Jope brand, have 118 Kcal per 100 grams.
Other fillings or pickles added like the pepper, chive, chilli, carrot… They are low-calorie products and by increasing their concentration, they reduce the energy value of stuffed olives.
Thus, for example, pickles of olives with pickled cucumber and scallions of the DIA brand, have 61 kcal per 100 grams.
Stuffed with low weight such as anchovy, hardly produce variations in the calories in olives.
Thus, for example, the anchovy stuffed olives of the Jolca brand, have 156 kcal per 100 grams.
Calories in olives with bone
If we compare the calories in olives with bone with those of boneless, there is a slight difference, although it must be taken into account that the bone is not eaten, therefore the portion of the bone does not provide food calories. The olive bone is not something consumed and usually involves between 10 and 20% of the weight.
Naturally, bone olives have fewer calories per 100 grams than boneless olives. Consuming 100 grams of olives with bone would be equivalent to the intake of about 85 grams of olives without bone. However, in case of consuming the same number of olives, the difference between the energy consumed would be practically negligible.
Boneless Manzanilla olives 169 kcal
How many calories are in one olive?
Depending on the variety of table olives, their weight can vary between 3 and 8 grams, usually sold in sizes around 4 grams. As we have seen, the calories of the olives without additions vary between 140 and 190 kcal / 100 grams, considering that every 100 grams of drained weight, 25 olives enter. We can calculate that the calories per olive consumed are between 5.6 and 7.6 kcal.
Table olive production 2018/2019
The table olive production during the 2018/2019 campaign has increased by 4%. According to the official data published by the AICA. As we can see, the Hojiblanca and Manzanilla Sevillana olive varieties account for more than 80% of the table olive market in Spain.
- Hojiblanca 272,380 t
- Manzanilla 209,190 t
- Gordal 42,660 t
- Cacereña 21,070 t
- Carrasqueña 16,510 t
- Other 22,860 t
Total 584,680 t
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We have translated the information on our website from Spanish to English. Note that some words may have seen their meaning altered during their translation.