Note: This post was originally published on Vaya Madrid which, unfortunately, shut down in 2016.
“I don’t like olives.” It’s a phrase I hear spoken often, whether it be from friends coming for a quick visit or patrons on one of my food tours through the markets of Madrid.
I want to roll my eyes, but feign patience — as I once too spoke those words.
The thing is, there are so many olive varieties that it is a shame to swear them off before actually trying the full range (there are over 270 varieties in Spain alone!). When I arrived for a semester abroad in Granada, back in University, I didn’t think I liked olives either. I’d grown up with them at the table, as my father is Italian-American and adores olives of all shapes and sizes. But he always bought the strong and bitter ones that aren’t exactly a good introductory olive.
