The Kalamata olive is a large, black olive with a smooth, meaty texture named after the city of Kalamata in the southern Peloponnese, Greece. Often used as a table olive, they are usually preserved in wine vinegar or olive oil. Kalamata olives in the European Union (EU) has PDO status; whereby only olives originating from the Kalamata region have the sole rights to be branded as Kalamata if sold in the EU.