There are over 2000 varieties of olives, but around 90% of the world's olive crop, primarily produced in Spain, goes into olive oil. That means that the remaining are consumed as "table olives," and most of us just know either the green kind that comes in a jar (often stuffed with a red thing) or the pitted black kind that comes in a can.

Black olives are sometimes marketed as "ripe California olives" since most of the United States' olives come from the Golden State, but believe it or not, they're actually unripe olives that have undergone a process to change their skin to a uniform color while artificially ripening them. Black olives are slightly sweet, valued for their convenience and agreeable taste and texture.

However, as green olives are not edible when they are picked from a tree, they are first harvested, then cured with lye and brine before being stuffed with sweet red peppers, cheese, or anchovies. Try using green olives in pasta and chicken dishes, on a charcuterie board, or eating them plain.