Before I left Israel about a month ago, I had a conversation with my cousin about olives. We both love olives. One day, we plan on going on a trip centered around olives. So far, the list of places to visit is: Kalamata.

But that day we were discussing a very different olive: the Souri. It is a common olive found in every hummus and falafel restaurant in Israel. These are cheap, small, green, bitter, sharp and do not have much meat on them. I love them. My cousin loves them. My girlfriend, who also likes olives, though not as much as me, does not like them. To her, they are barely worth eating.

The Souri: a polarising olive.

In moments of contemplation during my move back to Canada, I came up with a theory of why people love these olives. I think these olives are an acquired taste. When you visit hummus and falafel restaurants, the first thing brought to the table is a plate of raw onions, vinegary pickles, and Souri olives. Due to hunger, you consume the olives every time. After many visits, congratulations, you have acquired a taste for the humble Souri olive. This also explains why my girlfriend does not like them: she never goes to eat hummus in as hungry a state as my cousin and me.

When I shared my theory with my cousin, he disagreed that this was the reason. He suggested that it was a question of connoisseurship. In the same way passionate chocolate lovers gravitate towards darker, more bitter varieties, true olive lovers seek the bitter, sharp flavour of the Souri.

I am unsure which of the two theories is correct. Maybe there exists another explanation. The next step would be trying to prove or disprove these theories, but I am not yet sure how I am going to do that.