Preserving Olives

The Traditional Maltese Way

An old-fashioned method shared with me by my dad, the Mr Charlie Apap himself.

Some of the most interesting things I learn about food come from conversations with my dad.

Today, we were talking about an old Maltese tradition of preserving freshly harvested olives. It's a wonderfully simple method, using little more than water, salt and, rather unexpectedly, a raw egg!

I was fascinated by the process, particularly how something as ordinary as an egg could help determine when the salted water was ready for preserving olives.

Naturally, I wanted to learn more.

The Traditional Maltese Method

Dad explained that once the olives have been harvested from the tree, they're set aside while the preserving water is prepared.

The amount of water depends on the quantity of olives you've collected. For example, let's imagine we've harvested approximately two kilograms.

You begin with a bucket of clean water and gently place a whole, raw egg into it, still in its shell.

The egg will naturally sink to the bottom.

From there, salt is gradually added to the water, stirring until it dissolves. As the salt concentration increases, something rather interesting happens.

The egg begins to float!

According to Dad, this was the traditional way of knowing when the salt water, or brine, was ready for preserving olives.

Once prepared, the freshly harvested olives are placed into sterilised glass jars and covered completely with the brine.

The jars are then set aside while the olives slowly undergo the preserving process.

Patience Is Part of the Tradition

Dad explained that traditionally, the olives could be left for anywhere between six months and a year.

During this time, the olives gradually lose their natural bitterness.

The aim is to achieve an olive that's pleasant to eat, with flesh that has softened and become tender without losing its texture.

Dad explained that you could test the olives along the way, checking whether that distinctive bitterness had disappeared.

What I find particularly interesting is that the process isn't simply about preserving the harvest. It's also about transforming something naturally bitter into something enjoyable to eat.

A Little Italian Influence

Our conversation became even more interesting when Dad mentioned another technique.

He explained that while the traditional Maltese method he knew involved preserving the olives whole, some Maltese people also adopted an Italian practice of lightly striking each olive before placing it into the brine.

The idea is to gently break the skin without crushing the olive.

Apparently, this may help the bitterness leave the olive more quickly, potentially shortening the time needed before it's ready to eat.

It's something I'd like to experiment with myself.

Perhaps I'll prepare two batches, one using whole olives and another using lightly cracked olives, to see whether there's a noticeable difference in flavour, texture and preparation time.

Learning from the Older Generation

One of the things I appreciate most about these conversations with Dad is discovering how people prepared and preserved food long before modern conveniences became part of everyday life.

There was practical knowledge behind so many of these methods, often passed along through conversation, observation and experience rather than written instructions.

I love learning about these old-fashioned cooking traditions, particularly those connected to my Maltese heritage.

And while I'm still learning, I hope that by documenting these conversations and eventually trying the methods myself, I can help keep some of that knowledge alive and share it with others who might be equally curious.

My Plans to Try This at Home

Once freshly harvested olives become available, I'm planning to purchase some and put Dad's method to the test.

I'd also love to document the experience through a cooking demonstration on my YouTube channel, showing the preparation, the egg-floating technique and how the olives change over time.

I'll share what I learn, including anything I discover that differs from Dad's explanation.

An important note: This post documents a traditional method described by my dad, not a tested or food-safety-validated preserving recipe. The floating egg is a traditional indication of brine strength, not a reliable substitute for measuring salt concentration. Before preparing olives for consumption, I'll establish a tested curing method with appropriate salt concentration, storage conditions and food-safety guidance. Bitterness disappearing alone doesn't establish that preserved olives are safe to eat.

A Tradition Worth Sharing

I'm curious to know whether other Maltese families remember this method of preserving olives.

Did your parents or grandparents use a raw egg to test their brine? Or perhaps they had a slightly different way of preparing their olives?

If you're familiar with this tradition, please leave a comment below. I'd genuinely love to hear how it was done in your family.

Warm regards,