Tapenade (; oc, tapenada ) is a
Provençal name for a spread,
condiment and culinary ingredient consisting of puréed or finely chopped
olive
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ' ...
s,
capers, and
anchovies. Its name comes from the
Provençal word for capers, ''tapenas'' (). It is a popular food in the
south of France
Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', ...
, where it is generally eaten as an
hors d'œuvre
An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the ...
spread on bread, with fish, in salads, and sometimes used to stuff poultry for the main course.
History of similar dishes
Olive-based dishes with anchovies or vinegar are ubiquitous in Italian cuisine, documented in ancient Roman cookbooks dating back more than a thousand years before the appearance of the
Occitan word ''tapenade''. One of the earliest known of such Italian recipes, ''Olivarum conditurae'', appears in
Columella's ''De re Rustica'' written in the first century AD.
Cato the Elder
Marcus Porcius Cato (; 234–149 BC), also known as Cato the Censor ( la, Censorius), the Elder and the Wise, was a Roman soldier, senator, and historian known for his conservatism and opposition to Hellenization. He was the first to write hi ...
(234–149 B.C.) also includes a recipe for ''epityrum'', an olive spread very much like a tapenade, in chapter 119 of his ''On Agriculture''. The use of capers is the hallmark of recipes for tapenade.
Sometimes tapenade is confused with
olive salad, a critical component in the New Orleans sandwich the
muffaletta. New Orleans olive salad is more properly called a
giardiniera. It also does not contain capers but does contain cauliflower, carrots, and celery.
According to the culinary works of Provençal chefs Jean-Baptiste Reboul and Charles Julliard, the tapenade was created in 1880, by chef Meynier, of the restaurant La Maison Dorée in Marseille. He pounded together an equal amount (200 grams) of capers and black olives to garnish the hard-boiled egg halves, then incorporated anchovy fillets and marinated tuna (100 grams each). This condiment composition was then tied with a whisk after adding spices, pepper, olive oil, and two glasses of cognac.
Preparation
The base ingredients of tapenade are olives and capers.
The olives (most commonly black olive) and capers are chopped finely, crushed, or blended. Then olive oil is added gradually until the mixture becomes a paste.
In various regions, tapenade is often flavored differently, with other ingredients such as
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeas ...
,
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...
s,
anchovies,
lemon juice, or
brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...
.
Serving
Tapenade may be used as part of an
appetizer served as a topping on crusty bread or
crudités.
It can be an ingredient in salad, as shown in the image from a Provence restaurant.
It may also be used as a condiment and in preparing fish dishes.
See also
*
Relish
*
List of spreads
*
Mediterranean cuisine
References
{{Reflist
Cuisine of Provence
Occitan cuisine
Spreads (food)
Anchovy dishes
Olive dishes