Olives can be prepared and purchased in a variety of ways. The primary formats are considered whole, pitted, sliced or stuffed. These can be described as:

• Whole Olive: The whole olive is served in its original form. Generally, whole olives are serves “as is,” by themselves, in salads or with a piece of cheese.
  
• Pitted Olive: Has the pit (otherwise known as bone or stone) extracted the pitted olive is a popular for olive breads and also, for various salads.
  
• Sliced Olive: Involves the same process as used to pit an olive, but harvesters take the process one step further by slicing the olive as well. Sliced olives are very popular for pizzas and sandwiches.
  
• Stuffed Olive: After pitting an olive, harvesters can replace the pit with an edible ingredient. Known as stuffing, there are a variety of popular additions, including: pimento, almonds, garlic, sardines, anchovies and even tuna. The rule for a stuffed olive is that there are no rules! Anything is possible for stuffing, but not necessarily recommended.