One ancient crushed olive recipe has been handed down for generations and has traces in a document from the second half of the eighteenth century written by an elderly lady from the city of Gaeta. The yellowed script reads, “If you want to treat yourself, eat some crushed olives: 1 kilo of Gaeta olives, 30 grams of olive oil, 20 grams of salted anchovies, 10 grams of dried tomatoes and two or three capers. Always remember to crush the olives in the marble mortar before mixing everything and put the mixture in a glass jar.”

Even in the history of Imperial Rome we find traces of crushed olive recipes such as Epityrum, an ancient recipe combining the salted pulp of the best olives, olive oil and aromas or spices.
Catone explained how to prepare the famous Epityrum, “Remove the pits from the olives of the varieties selected, mince the olives and add coriander seeds, cumin, fennel, rue and mint. Mix gently with olive oil and vinegar and leave the mixture to rest, taking care add a little more oil.”

In the Tapenade line, Madama Oliva exalts these precious, ancient recipes with the goodness of our olives enriched with the highest quality ingredients such as anchovies, capers, artichokes, mushrooms, aubergines and chilli peppers.

Olive Tapenade can used for pasta dishes by mixing it directly into drained pasta or a little of the drained water in a pan.

For the preparation of aperitifs or starters, we recommend spreading it onto toast, bread or other savoury snacks.

Use this craft recipe as a simple condiment or with all your creativity, just as ancient generations have taught us.