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Tapenade aux olives provençal or, Authentic Provençal Olive Tapenade, is a delicious spread of olives, garlic, capers and often anchovies, that is served in the South of France. Most restaurants and market bistros will serve a small dish of tapenade accompanied with totis (Provençal for small slices of toasted baguette) or vegetable spears the moment you sit down at the table. It is an open invitation to order an appéritif!
One bite of this authentic olive tapenade and I am transported to the South of France. I close my eyes and I am seated at a café in the town square of Vence, a village perched in the hills between Nice and Cannes. The neighborhood elders are playing boules and I hear a chorus of "Ah! Poutaing, oh!" and "Peuchère" being exclaimed with a strong Provençal dialect. There are drops of condensation on my glass of chilled Rosé. The market is being swept up in front of us, empty crates loaded back into vans and old Peugeot sedans.
My husband squints to see the menu du jour written on the chalkboard at the entrance of the café. Ris de veau for him, (always), Filet du Loup Sauce Vierge for me. We are gathered with dear friends and we settle into a languorous lunch.
While it may not be possible to recreate this exact meal experience outside of the South of France, enjoying tapenade is a great start!
How to Eat Olive Tapenade
- En Appéritif. Tapenade served on Totis, or croûtons, is one of the mainstays of the the delicious tradition of the "apéro" and pairs well with a glass of rosé, pastis or kir royal.
- As a starter. Served with crackers, vegetable spears, hardboiled eggs and fresh sliced baguette, tapenade is a great first course.
- As part of a grazing board or cheese platter
- Over pasta. A spoonful of tapenade over a plate of steaming tagliatelle, drizzled with olive oil, is a great side dish.
- With Chicken. Roasted Chicken breasts , smothered with olive tapenade are delicious and juicy!
- Baked Salmon and Roasted Lamb are also incredible with olive tapenade.
- In baking: I love to bake olive tapenade into cheese twists or crackers.
Le Chef's Tip: When cooking with tapenade, be very careful not to add salt! Olive tapenade is already rather salty from the capers and the anchovies.
Ingredients needed:
2 cups Black olives (Kalamata or Niçois)
6 cloves of garlic
2 filets of anchovies ( I promise, you don't actually taste the anchovy - just the saltiness that this dish needs)
2 tbsps capers (the little capers, not caper berries)
½ tbsp dried Herbes de Provence (if you don't have Herbes de Provence, oregano on its own works too)
How to make Totis (Provençal for toasts)
Totis are best made with day old baguette. If you haven't tried making your own baguettes, my Baking Baguettes for Beginners recipe is super simple and the baguettes are delicious!
Slice half of a baguette into ¼ inch slices. Put the slices in the toaster or a couple of minutes under the broiler until golden brown.
Equipment needed:
A food processor is necessary to get the olives chopped up very finely and the ingredients mixed well together : I use my immersion blender with the chopper attachment base for this recipe.
Part of a Mediterranean Diet
Adding olive tapenade to a dish is a great way to add flavor and healthy fats as per the Mayo Clinic description of the Mediterranean Diet.
How to Make a Kir Royal:
I enjoy drinking a Kir Royal with Olive Tapenade as an apéro. I like the touch of sweetness a Kir Royal brings to the saltiness of the tapenade.
Pour 1-2 teaspoons of Crème de Cassis into a champagne glass. Top with dry sparkling wine or Champagne. Voilà!
FAQ
t’s not just a spread—it’s a mini escape to Provence. With the mix of olives, garlic, capers, anchovies, a dash of pastis (or gin), Herbes de Provence, and olive oil, each bite carries the salty warmth of a café terrace in the South of France. It’s quick, bold in flavor, and effortlessly transports you to a sun-drenched village square
Tapenade is charmingly versatile. Spoon it on totis—those little toasts made from day-old baguette—or pile it on crackers, veggie sticks, or sliced baguette. It’s also dreamy over pasta, slathered on chicken, salmon, or lamb, and even transformed into cheese twists or savory crackers for a grazing board.
Be cautious with salt—tapenade is naturally salty thanks to the capers and anchovies. So whether you’re stirring it into pasta or slathering it over roasted meat, taste as you go and skip the extra salt until you’re sure it’s needed.
Bon Appétit,
Le Chef's Wife
ABOUT LE CHEF'S WIFE
Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.
Look inside our Kitchen with this recent Washington Post Article. We were recently featured on the TODAY SHOW for our recipes of French Onion Soup Gratinée and Moelleux au Chocolat. You can watch our full segment here:
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Authentic Olive Tapenade
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: starters
- Method: chopped
- Cuisine: French
Description
Authentic Provençal Olive Tapenade is a delicious spread of olives, garlic, capers and anchovies, that is served in the South of France.
Ingredients
- 2 cups black olives (Kalamata or Niçois)
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp of Pastis (or Gin if you don't have Pastis)
- 2 filets of anchovies ( I promise, you don't actually taste the anchovy - just the saltiness that this dish needs)
- 2 tbsps capers (the little capers, not caper berries)
- ½ tbsp dried Herbes de Provence (if you don't have Herbes de Provence, oregano on its own works too)
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
First, put the garlic cloves, capers and anchovies in the food processor with the Pastis (or Gin). Give it several pulses to make a paste.
Next, add ⅓ of the olives and approximately ⅓ of the olive oil and ⅓ of the herbs. Pulse several times. Mix together with your spoon, bringing the contents on the side of the bowl into the center.
Repeat 3 times.
This does not need to be exact, but separating the ingredients into 3 batches allows an even mixture between ingredients.
Serve the tapenade with totis, little toasts made of day old baguette.
For the Totis:
Slice baguette into ¼ inch slices. Put the slices in the toaster or a couple of minutes under the broiler until golden brown.
Bon Appétit!
Notes
- Anchovies are necessary for this dish, but I promise you won't taste them!
- If there is too much liquid in the tapenade (depending on how juicy your olives are) , you can strain out the excess liquid by placing small amounts of tapenade in a strainer. Keep the tapenade for this recipe and save the olive juice for cooking with! Le Chef suggests pouring over a rack of lamb in the oven.
- Be careful not to add salt to the tapenade! This dish is salty enough!
- Ways to enjoy Tapenade:
- En Appéritif. Tapenade is one of the mainstays of the the delicious tradition of the "apéro" and pairs well with a glass of rosé, pastis or kir royal.
- As a starter. Served with crackers, vegetable spears, hardboiled eggs and fresh sliced baguette, tapenade is a great first course.
- Over pasta. A spoonful of tapenade over a plate of steaming tagliatelle, drizzled with olive oil, is a great side dish.
- With Chicken. Roasted Chicken breasts , smothered with olive tapenade are delicious and juicy!
- In baking: I love to bake olive tapenade into cheese twists or crackers.
- Store olive tapenade in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to one week, topped with a thin layer of olive oil to keep it fresh
Penny Hart says
Delicious ! It was a hit at work.
Anina Belle Giannini says
Dear Penny, Thank you so much for letting me know! I am so glad you enjoyed our recipe.