THE European Union (EU) is introducing Europe’s finest table olives in the Middle East. These consist of variants including the three naturally tree ripened varieties: Kalamata, Konservolia (black) and Throumpa olives, besides the green Chalkidiki and Konservolia olives, each having their own distinctive taste and health benefits. The European Union is running a campaign, ‘Olive You, European Table Olives’, which is a promotional program aiming to increase the awareness and demand for the European Table Olives amongst both professionals and consumers, as well as to develop exports in, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and rest of the middle eastern region.

Two cooking seminars have been realized at Hyatt Place, Al-Sulaimania, Riyadh, in context of promotional campaign ‘Olive You’. The attendees included chefs, food bloggers, food business owners, PR agents, and media representatives. Specifically in UK two sessions were organized for olive display discussions and lesson actions for student chefs.

Olives are as unique as they are extraordinary. They’re loaded with free radical-zapping antioxidants, which plays out in the prevention of several different diseases, including heart disease, stroke, DNA damage, and cancer, specifically breast and stomach cancer. Other benefits relate to the health of the nervous system, respiratory system, immunity, and digestion, to name a few. Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) is another important antioxidant nutrient in olives, along with antioxidant minerals like selenium and zinc.

Focusing on consumer needs and quality assurance and in order to ensure that all valuable nutrients remain intact, European table olives continuously undergo strict controls at various stages starting from the olive grove all way up to the final production and packing stage. — SG