Product Review: Sainsbury's Pitted Black Olives, 185g
Olives Growing On The Tree
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Is this another product to add to the list? You know the list: the list of products you either love, or hate, or love to hate, or would just about prefer to eat rather than shoe polish (but only just...) People often comment on it, and sometimes it seems that way.
But certainly, for anyone who does like olives, it seems as if, if they like them then they really love them. And probably for the same reasons that the haters hate them: the salty tang, the savoury almost-bitterness, the chewy vegetable-like texture. (Even though they're a fruit. And have a fat composition closer to the nut family. Why are these classifications always so confusing?)
And can olives be good for you? Well, they certainly qualify as a high-fat food, if that's something you're trying to avoid.1 On the other hand, they've also been hailed as having a role in nutrition relating to CHD, cancer and anti-inflammatory activity.2
If you love them, then are there any strikes against them in the con column of the debate? Well, there's always one, I guess – they're not the cheapest item in your shopping trolley, especially lately. What's the most economical way to get your olive fix, hypothesizing that times are tight and your wad of money is light? You could always try Sainsbury's Pitted Black Olives, 185g in a little glass jar. Taking a look at the other options available, it's probably one of the cheapest at least on the Sainsbury's aisles.
But how deliciously savoury and snacky are they, once you've stumped up the cash (and a very reasonable sum it is for the salty treat.) How do they shape up against the competition? Well, if you're a black olive lover, as opposed to the green olives (or any exotic variation thereof – Kalamata, pimiento stuffed, almond stuffed, garlic stuffed, sliced, pitted, unpitted, chopped, I could go on...)
They ain't bad! That's all I'm saying! I'm not putting them amongst the top three olive varieties or brands I've every tried – come on, fresh deli olives will beat out any canned or bottled variety any day of the week as any olive lover knoweth. But still! Worth your money – and not a lot of it, at that!
References.
1. SelfNutritionData, Olives, ripe, canned (small-extra large). 2012. Available at http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1964/2. Accessed 27/08/2012.
2. AH Stark Ph.D., R.D, Professor Z Madar Ph.D. Nutrition Reviews. Volume 60, Issue 6, pages 170–176, June 2002