Green Olive Tapenade, a Southern Classic to Keep on Hand

Green olive tapenade , light and tasty, brings a taste of sunshine to your preparations. During aperitifs in summer or in comforting dishes during the cold season, it accompanies your good times all year round.

Green olive tapenade, a typical Mediterranean recipe

The tapenade recipe as we know it today was invented in Marseille at the end of the 19th century. However, similar preparations have existed throughout the Mediterranean basin for centuries. Tapenade is therefore part of an ancient culinary tradition, and it also brings together ingredients typical of the region, including green olives and olive oil . The recipe is completed with anchovies, lemon juice, Provencal herbs, capers and garlic. These give it a little spice, a beautiful aroma and above all a lot of flavor.

Traditional tapenade is prepared in a mortar , where each component is carefully pounded until it becomes melted. Today, artisans use more efficient tools, but keep the ancestral recipe for an authentic taste.

What is the difference between green tapenade and black tapenade?

The basic ingredients of tapenade are the same, but the green and black varieties differ in the type of olives used : green olives are picked when they reach their maximum size, and black olives are harvested when they are almost perfectly ripe. The fruits therefore come from the same tree, but have a different degree of ripeness.

Green olives being bitter, they are immersed in a soda bath then a brine bath. They come out with a fruity and lighter taste compared to black olives.

How to enjoy green olive tapenade?

Green olive tapenade is a must for an aperitif , it is used to spread on toast and crackers, to garnish tartlets. It can also be served with a cheese platter and quality bread.

It also comes in delicious , simple and tasty preparations: to mix with the yolk to garnish hard-boiled eggs and change a little from classic mimosas, or to stuff tomatoes or season a cucumber salad for a starter full of freshness.

As a main course , green tapenade goes well with fried vegetables and pasta. It is also used as a stuffing to add flavor to meat and fish.