Mission (olive)

The Mission olive is a cultivar of olive developed in California, by Spanish missions along El Camino Real in the late 18th century. The Mission olive has been included in the Ark of Taste, an international catalog of endangered heritage foods maintained by the Slow Food movement. It is also the only American olive cultivar listed by the International Olive Council in its World Catalogue of Olive Varieties. Although developed in the United States, Mission olives are also used by South African olive oil producers.