Taggiasca olive

Olive taggiasche

What it is

Benedictine monks who came from the abbey of Lérins are credited with establishing the olive in the Argentina valley, and the town of Taggia gave the variety its name. The fruit is tiny around a proportionally large stone, so a jar is mostly stone by weight - Ligurian cooks buy it whole in oil and pit it themselves rather than pay for it done.

In the kitchen

Add them whole and unpitted at the very end of a rabbit or a fish braise, and warn whoever is eating; twenty minutes in the pot and they go pale and bitter. Keep the oil they came in for the dressing.

Goes with

Rabbit Anchovy Pine nut Rosemary Olive oil Potato Sea bass Thyme

Same species

Agrumato lemon oil Olive Cracked olive of the Vallée des Baux Castelvetrano olive Bella di Cerignola olive Gaeta olive

Also used with

Dentex Tuna bottarga Stockfish Tropea red onion Semi-dried tomato

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