Olive is an oilseed plant in the family of olives (Oleaceae), which also includes plants like lilacs, jasmine, and forsythia. It produces small fruits that are called olives when mature, but these are seeds with a thick shell surrounding a pit, like most other fruits. Olive trees can grow to be medium-sized and are evergreen or deciduous, depending on the species.
Olives primarily serve as a source of olive oil, a monounsaturated fat that has been associated with health benefits including cardiovascular protection. Olives are also consumed as table olives, which are preserved in brine or saltwater. However, not all olives are edible when harvested from the tree due to their high bitterness, a characteristic that disappears with processing and curing.
The use of the term "olive" to refer to both the plant and the fruit has led to some confusion in classification and dietary habits. Olives are scientifically classified as fruits, and they fit within the broader definition of fruits as fleshy or dry ripened ovaries of a flowering plant, encircling seeds. Despite their classification as Drupes (stone fruits), olives are more similar to true fruits like peach and cherry, which have a single, fleshy seed.
In practical terms, most people refer to olives as a type of vegetable due to their culinary uses in various dishes. However, from a botanical perspective, olives are seeds with a fruit-like appearance that can accompany the seed in certain food preparations.
The decision to classify olives as vegetables or fruits hinges on the intended uses and perceptions of their edible part. While olives are commonly served as vegetables in Western cuisine, it's important to recognize that olive trees are primarily fruit-bearing and should be classified as such in botanicalomenclature.
In summary, olives are typically considered drupes or fruits in their natural state, and while olives are often used and eaten as vegetables, they are better categorized as seeds with fruit-like characteristics, appropriate for consumption as such.
