Market Stall · Kalamata Olives
Elies Kalamon (Kalamata Olives)
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True Kalamata olives are still hand-picked rather than machine-harvested, since bruising the skin during picking ruins the smooth, glossy finish that defines them.
Large, almond-shaped purple-black olives are hand-picked, slit or scored, and cured in brine and red wine vinegar until rich and meaty. Sold by weight from barrels and baskets at Peloponnese market stalls, scooped into paper alongside bread and cheese.
Why it's made this way: The olive groves of Messinia in the southern Peloponnese have grown this specific varietal for centuries, and Kalamata olives now hold EU Protected Designation of Origin status tying the name legally to the region around the city of Kalamata.
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