The Complete Handbook of Tapenade

Chapter 1: Understanding Tapenade

Tapenade is a prepared olive-based spread, and it is a category defined by a surprising amount of intentional and unintentional variation. In its traditional Provençal form, tapenade is a coarse paste of black olives, capers, anchovies, and olive oil, pounded together and used as a condiment or appetizer. In commercial reality, the term "tapenade" appears on jars of products that range from a near-pure olive paste to a mixture that contains only a small percentage of olives, extended with vegetable oil, vinegar, and texturizers. If you are buying, selling, or serving tapenade, the first practical skill is to understand that you are not buying one thing. You are buying a product class where the legal definition in most markets is loose at best. In the European Union, tapenade is generally recognized as a traditional food but is not a protected designation of origin product. In the United States, the FDA has no standard of identity for tapenade, so it falls under general food labeling laws. That has consequences: two jars that both say "tapenade" on the label can be radically different in composition and quality.

The defining ingredients, and their proportions, are the core of understanding what tapenade actually is. The traditional formula, one commonly used by Provençal producers, is approximately 70 percent olives by weight, 10 percent capers, 8 percent anchovies, and the remainder olive oil and seasonings (typically thyme, laurel, and sometimes a small amount of garlic). The olives are usually mature black varieties,