Tapenade is a dish which is said to have originated in the French Southern region of Provence, but that is also very popular in the Monagesque and Italian cuisines.
It consists of a purée of finely chopped olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil. It is generally eaten as an appetizer or a snack spread on bread or crackers, or it can also be used as a condiment, for instance for fish, or to stuff poultry.
Its name derives from the Provençal word for ‘capers’. Nonetheless, the recipe of olive-based tapenades dates back to ancient Rome, as documented in cookbooks of that era. Before the appearance of the French word tapenade, this dish was known by Romans as olivarum conditurae, as it appears in Columella’s De re Rustica, one of the earliest known sources of this recipe, written in the first century AD.
Tapenade recipes can vary according to regions: different ingredients can be added, such as garlic, lemon juice, vinegar or mustard.
To prepare tapenade is easy and quick. Here is our suggested recipe from the Monegasque tradition.
Ingredients:
100 g anchovies in olive oil
225 g stoned black olives
1 tbsp capers
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp mustard
1 garlic clove, mashed
½ tsp ground bay leaves
Method
Simply purée all ingredients together until you get a creamy tapenade.
Enjoy on bread slices or crackers, or use as a condiment for meat or fish dishes.
International editions: