The vast majority of fruits in our country are harvested in the summer and autumn seasons, with the olive being the exception, as it ripens and is marketed in the winter. Even in the depths of winter, its fruit remains a vibrant greenish color, hence it is commonly known as the "green fruit," and is also sometimes referred to as the "white olive." The olive is an evergreen tree belonging to the Oleaceae family, flowering in spring and summer, with its drupes being spindle-shaped. The olive is a specialty fruit native to our country, originating on Hainan Island. It is now most widely cultivated in Guangdong and Fujian, followed by Guangxi and Taiwan, with smaller cultivation areas in Zhejiang, Chongqing, and Sichuan.
There is a folk saying, "An amateur eats an olive, spitting it out after one bite," because fresh olives are initially sour and astringent in the mouth. However, upon careful chewing, the bitterness transforms into a clear sweetness, and the mouth becomes filled with saliva, making it a truly unique flavor. For this reason, fresh olives are considered a superior fruit for entertaining guests during the New Year festivities.
Not only is the fresh olive unique in flavor, but it is also exceptionally nutritious. In every 100 grams of its edible portion, it contains as much as 22 milligrams of Vitamin C and is rich in other nutrients, ranking it just behind fruits like jujubes, citrus, and lychees.
The olive also possesses certain medicinal value. A Ming Dynasty pharmacologist, in the "Compendium of Materia Medica," noted its effects, including "promoting the production of bodily fluids, relieving vexation and thirst, and treating sore throats." Therefore, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is used as a lung-clearing and throat-soothing medication, primarily for the treatment of swollen and sore throats. During the dry winter months, chewing fresh olives can moisten the throat, clear heat, quench thirst, and promote saliva production, offering numerous benefits.