I have been eating fresh and brined olives for years. I like the olives with the pits and usually consume the whole pit without removing it. It was recently pointed out to me that this is not a healthy practice, and even though I have been doing this for some time, I began to wonder whether it is 1)abnormal to eat the whole olive, pit and all, and 2) will the pits have a long term adverse effect? I have never met anyone who ate olive pits, and I find the with-pit olives to be the best, so I thought I would ask. Note that I do not grind up and chew the pits, as I am sure that my teeth would not like that!
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11I've never heard of anyone eating the pits until now. I don't know if it's healthy for you or not but some of them are certainly sharp and I'm not sure I'd want that going through my small intestine.– CatijaCommented Aug 14, 2015 at 15:01
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4I think you're confusing the terminology. From your question, "...I find the pitted olives to be the best...". Pitted olives have the pits removed.– CindyCommented Aug 14, 2015 at 19:00
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1Ok, so what would one call olives with pits if they are not "pitted?" "pit-free? pit-less?" Pit olives?– ychirea1Commented Aug 14, 2015 at 21:23
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4@ychirea1 Unpitted olives, or olives with pits.– Cascabel ♦Commented Aug 14, 2015 at 21:35
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2Also... fresh? Fresh olives are bitter and basically inedible.– Cascabel ♦Commented Aug 15, 2015 at 4:28
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6 Answers
In our culture we eat olive pits (especially Kalamata) for generations and no one has ever had a problem with eating them in small quantities (3-4 max).
They seem to be digestible (never noticed any of them coming out! :)
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13Just because they did not come out does not mean you digested them. Just saying. Commented Apr 13, 2017 at 17:04
I'd avoid this practice.
The olive pit husk is very hard and should not be eaten, however, as it is indigestible and might injure the intestinal wall if sharp edges are present. Also, do not chew the husk, as it is so hard it could break a tooth. Swallowing the husk is also a bad idea, as it has sharp ends that could be dangerous. It is also quite indigestible and will come out just as it went in. (source)
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I will accept this answer. Although the article that you referenced suggests that the seeds inside of the pit are beneficial for eating, and possibly healthy, one still has to crack the pit to get to the seed. I will not chew the pit, it is too much trouble to crack it with a nutcracker.– ychirea1Commented Aug 15, 2015 at 3:49
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2yes, seeds are tasty nutty-olive, close to cedar seeds, but too small to bother with opening the thick husk. Commented Aug 15, 2015 at 3:59
I swallow olive pits occasionally,not more than 2 if they are not too big. Heard for some old folks in Greece they have done it for whole life(in their 80s still kicking and olive pits eating:)) and they believe that pits protect their intestines as they are digestible
I used to eat the meat in the olive pit. It is white and oblong shape, and it is very tasty. I have not had it since when I was a child. I will ask the herb store in Chinatown next time. this delicacy is very expensive probably because it is hard to break the pit and extract the meat.
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Note that I do not grind up and chew the pits They won't break down either, which makes your case completely different. It is also an (one) anecdote, not an answer with arguments.– user34961Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 7:30
Apparently US and Bulgarian research proved that olive stones melt in the digestive tract before reaching the intestines. I just received the information from a friend who is a medical researcher and I will also start eating them.
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7Apparently US and Bulgarian research proved Please back this up with actual facts, especially because of the health claims.– user34961Commented Jun 29, 2017 at 8:01
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2Yes, citation needed. I've removed the health claims as they're off-topic here regardless of whether there's a source.– Cascabel ♦Commented Jun 30, 2017 at 14:31
I have been eaten for years(40+). Nothing wrong with it and most probably it is healthy too. Sometimes you need to be careful because of sharpness of top side of pit. Stomach, I read it in somewhere don't remember where but, just digestive it within seconds, before it goes to intestine...
