Blue olives are a type of Ceylon olive (Elaeocarpus serratus) INDIGENOUS to Sri Lanka. Known locally as Nil Veralu (in Sinhala).

While the green variety of veralu looks just like the common green olive (Olea europaea), the blue olive is almost perfectly spherical in shape with a bright blue edible skin. In some Hindu and Buddhist cultures the seeds of varieties of nil veralu are used to make the beads in prayer necklaces. Veralu fruit have also been used traditionally for medicinal purposes in Sri Lanka, thanks to its high nutritional content of vitamins, minerals and fibre and antioxidants .

What Does Blue Olive Taste Like?

The blue olive has a firm green flesh with a pasty, avocado-like texture. It is astringent when unripe, and slightly sour when ripe. In its native home in Sri Lanka, varieties of Ceylon olives are used in ways very different to how Mediterranean olives are typically used.