Kalamatas are hit or miss for me. Lower quality ones can be just too salty or bitter. I still keep them on hand, though. Some dishes aren’t right without them.
Our current faves are castelvetranos, a green varietal with a flavor that really doesn’t fight with anything, yet has a nice olive-y flavor and firm texture. We also get Cerignolas (green or black) if they’re available.
But my “Holy Grail” olives are probably forever lost to me. A local high-end liquor store (long since closed) had a small selection of foods for making charcuterie boards or entertaining in general. Many things were imported, including certain cheeses and the olives in question.
Those olives were larger than most olives I’ve seen and almost purple in hue- so technically a black varietal, I suppose. They tasted like olive-y butter. I’d get them whenever I was in the neighborhood.
But one day, I went in, and the two employees who handled most of the imported food logistics had quit. Nobody else knew where the olives came from, so once they ran out, they never got restocked.
