Tapenade and his history and recipe

The tapenade is an absolutely delightful kind of black olive pâté from Provence. The recipe also includes capers, anchovies, olive oil and different herbs. Indeed, its name stems from tápeno, a Provençal term given to capers.

Try to do the Tapenade also with green olives. It is so far better to do it by yourself instead of buy the ones you get in the supermarket.

History and facts about the tapenade

Despite there being a certain consensus when it comes to the origin of this tasty black olive paste, in reality, it may also have been created in parallel at many other locations around the Mediterranean. It is no surprise that we can, for example, find a spread whose main ingredients are also black olives, just like the tapenade, in the Greek or even the Catalan traditional cuisine. What is clear is that this delight has a strong Mediterranean character.

Tapenade is an absolutely delightful kind of black olive pâté from Provence

It is believed that it was in the late 19th century when this recipe was first prepared. More specifically, it was chef Meyner at the Maison Dorée restaurant, located in Marseille, who delighted his diners with this novel taste. This is, at least, what French cook Jean-Baptiste Reboul claimed in 1899 in his book ‘La Cuisinière Provençale’, a compilation of Provençal gastronomy recipes. The curious thing is that Meyner wasn’t French, but Bavarian.

It is worth mentioning that the tapenade is considered to be a superfood, since it is made with very healthy ingredients that are good for the body.

Tapenade recipe

200 grams of pitted nice black olives

2 tablespoons of capers

3 anchovies

one garlic clove, little bit of fresh thyme and rosemary finely chopped

5 tablespoons of a good olive oil

a pinch of ground black pepper (salt is mostly not needed since the anchovies will take this part, if you think it is not salty enough at the end you can add some nice flour de sea)

First, crush all of the ingredients with a mortar and add the olive oil a little at a time. If you are in a hurry, you may blend them in a blender (to be honest it is easier and faster, but see that you do not blend it to long as it should not get warm from the blenders speed)

Do remember that the mixture should not be too finely ground, but it should form a paste instead. 

For better results, it is recommended to refrigerate it and, once ready, serve on toasted baguette, or as a base for various appetizers. Without a doubt, this recipe is as simple as delicious!

Tapenade will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.