Hunter's tapenade
A dark, bold paste of black olives, capers, and anchovies pounded with olive oil. It keeps for several days in a jar and is spread on bread: ideal for a halt in the garrigue, gun over shoulder.
A dark, bold paste of black olives, capers, and anchovies pounded with olive oil. It keeps for several days in a jar and is spread on bread: ideal for a halt in the garrigue, gun over shoulder.
Tartarin himself would not have gone hunting without a pot of tapenade in his game bag! You pound the black olives with the capers and anchovies, drown it all in olive oil, and there you have a dark, thick paste that keeps and wakes up a hunk of bread better than a bugle call. Under the sun of Tarascon, between two shots fired into the air, believe me, nothing comforts the stomach of the empty-handed hunter better.
- •Pitted black olives from Provence — a good handful (base)
- •Salt-packed capers — a spoonful (tangy and bitter note)
- •Salted anchovy fillets — a few (salty umami)
- •Olive oil — as needed (binder)
- •Garrigue herbs (thyme) — a pinch (scent of the Midi)
Hunter's tapenade
A dark, bold paste of black olives, capers, and anchovies pounded with olive oil. It keeps for several days in a jar and is spread on bread: ideal for a halt in the garrigue, gun over shoulder.
Why this dish? Daudet loved the garrigue, hunting, and the olives of the Midi — the very world of his *Tartarin of Tarascon*, a boastful hunter. Tapenade, a paste of olives preserved in jars, is the snack of the walker and Provençal hunter, carried along with a hunk of bread.
Tartarin himself would not have gone hunting without a pot of tapenade in his game bag! You pound the black olives with the capers and anchovies, drown it all in olive oil, and there you have a dark, thick paste that keeps and wakes up a hunk of bread better than a bugle call. Under the sun of Tarascon, between two shots fired into the air, believe me, nothing comforts the stomach of the empty-handed hunter better.
Ingredients (period version)
- Pitted black olives from Provence — a good handful (base)
- Salt-packed capers — a spoonful (tangy and bitter note)
- Salted anchovy fillets — a few (salty umami)
- Olive oil — as needed (binder)
- Garrigue herbs (thyme) — a pinch (scent of the Midi)
Ingredients
- Pitted black olives (Nyons type) — 200 g (base)
- Drained capers — 1 tbsp (tangy note)
- Anchovy fillets in oil — 4 (salty umami)
- Extra virgin olive oil — 5 cl (binder)
- Dried thyme — 1 pinch (flavor)
- Lemon juice — a few drops (balance)
Method
- Rinse the capers and anchovies to remove excess salt.
- Pound in a mortar (or pulse in a food processor) the olives, capers, and anchovies.
- Incorporate the olive oil in a stream until you get a thick but spreadable paste.
- Season with thyme and a few drops of lemon juice.
- Store in a jar covered with a film of oil in the fridge; spread on bread.
How it was made : The word "tapenade" comes from the Provençal *tapeno*, meaning caper. Perfected in Marseille at the end of the 19th century but heir to much older olive pastes, it was preserved in jars under oil, making it an ideal long-lasting provision for excursions in the garrigue.
The contemporary twist : Serve it in appetizer spoons on warm toasts, with a wink: "Tartarin's game bag."
Sources : J.-B. Reboul, La Cuisinière provençale (1897)
Alphonse Daudet · Charactorium