Tapenade Three Ways: Black, Green and Anchovy
Tapenade is Provence’s gift to the busy cook: a punchy olive paste made in five minutes from pantry staples. Here are three versions — and the surprise hiding in its name.
The classic black
For the Provençal original: pound or pulse 200 g pitted black olives (Nyons or Kalamata) with 2 tbsp capers, 3–4 anchovy fillets, 1 small garlic clove, a squeeze of lemon and enough olive oil to loosen it into a coarse paste. A little thyme or a splash of brandy is traditional. Spread on toast, fold into eggs, or dollop on fish.
Green, and anchovy-forward
Green tapenade: swap in green olives and add a handful of almonds and basil for a brighter, nuttier paste. Anchovy tapenade: push the anchovy and capers harder and ease off the olives for something saltier and more savoury — superb on lamb or boiled eggs. Keep all three coarse; a paste with texture beats a smooth purée.
Here’s the twist: tapenade isn’t named after the olive at all. It comes from tapeno, the Provençal word for caper — the little brine-bud that, with the anchovy, gives the paste its savoury backbone. The olives are the body; the capers gave it its name.
A olives101 kitchen note.