Tapenade (; oc, tapenada ) is a
Provençal
Provençal may refer to:
*Of Provence, a region of France
* Provençal dialect, a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the southeast of France
*''Provençal'', meaning the whole Occitan language
*Franco-Provençal language, a distinct Roman ...
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
Provençal may refer to:
*Of Provence, a region of France
* Provençal dialect, a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the southeast of France
*''Provençal'', meaning the whole Occitan language
*Franco-Provençal language, a distinct Roman ...
word for capers, ''tapenas'' (). It is a popular food in the
south of France, 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 m ...
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 Occitan may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain.
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France.
* Occitan language
Occitan (; o ...
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 (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
New Orleans olive salad
Olive salad is a salad or giardiniera made from green olives, black olives, olive oil, celery, cauliflower, carrots, sweet peppers, onions, capers, parsley, pepperoncini, oregano, garlic, vinegar, herbs and spices. It is used to make the muffalett ...
, a critical component in the New Orleans sandwich the
muffaletta
The muffuletta or muffaletta is both a type of round Sicilian sesame bread and a popular sandwich that originated among Italian immigrants in New Orleans, Louisiana, using the same bread.
History
The muffuletta bread has origins in Sicily.
T ...
. 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, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...
,
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 medicinal ...
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
