SafePlants

Chinese Black Olive

The so-called "Chinese Black Olive" is used in various cuisines, particularly Thai and Chinese, often appearing in dishes like fried rice. Despite its common name, it's important to note that this ingredient isn't a true olive.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

• Scientific Name: Canarium album L. and Canarium pimela
• Synonyms: Canarium nigrum, Canarium tramdenum

The German common name is Schwarze Chinesische Olive.

Considerations for Pets

• The text mentions that the Chinese Black Olive is sometimes pickled or preserved. Pickled foods may contain high levels of sodium.

Considerations for Children

• The text mentions that Canarium album L. is a sweet-tart treat, but does not elaborate on specifics.

Distribution and Habitat

• Chinese olive trees are planted in various locations, including Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, and, of course, China.

Morphological Characteristics

• The fruit is oblong, and the pericarp (fruit wall) is greyish black with an ebony black macula (spot) near the stylar relic.
• The preserved Chinese olive used for fried rice is larger and more elongated than other varieties.

Traditional Uses and Culinary Applications

• Used in Thai cooking for Fried Rice with Chinese Black Olives (Kao Pad Nahm Liap) and as a salty accompaniment to rice soup.
• It can be stewed with mustard greens, oil, and seasonings to create a black paste.
• The salted black olives lend a pungency similar to Asian shrimp paste.
• Some recipes call for chopping the olives and combining them with ingredients like garlic, ground pork, fish sauce, and rice.

Quirky Facts

• One source claims this food helped people survive during world war.

Further Information

• Additional information may be found at Chinese.Yabla.com, a free online dictionary with English, Mandarin Chinese, and Pinyin.
• For tariff and duty information related to black olives imported into China, consult the ETCN China customs database.