{"id":94822,"date":"2015-01-30T17:19:05","date_gmt":"2015-01-30T07:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=94822"},"modified":"2015-02-15T17:41:19","modified_gmt":"2015-02-15T07:41:19","slug":"a-taste-for-olives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/01\/30\/a-taste-for-olives\/","title":{"rendered":"A Taste For Olives"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>January 30, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Jason Ford<\/strong>
\nFord on Food<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

My first taste of olives was on vacation, as a young teenager.<\/p>\n

Shortly after taking off from Bahrain Airport, I was served lunch of assorted cheese, Middle Eastern style meats and (in my youthful ignorance) what I thought was a couple of black grapes.<\/p>\n

The grapes happened to be black olives and with revulsion I impulsively spat one out and it landed at the feet of an airline steward.<\/p>\n

Embarrassed, I cried out, “There\u2019s something wrong with that grape”, only to have the steward laugh at me.<\/p>\n

These days, olives happen to be one of my favorite foods – it\u2019s astounding how your tastes change and develop with age.<\/p>\n

Olives are the fruit from the evergreen olive tree, are available in two main colours: black and green.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They have been cultivated for thousands of years, but their country of origin is debateable, although they have a noble heritage with the Middle East and the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n

Egyptian mummies have been found with olive branches around them.<\/p>\n

Olive oil was burned to light up Roman lanterns.<\/p>\n

And most of the olive\u2019s history and mythology originates from the ancient Greeks.<\/p>\n

The first Olympic flame was carried on an olive branch (a bit different from London 2012).<\/p>\n

The olive branch has been a symbol of peace for centuries, and the bible includes nearly 100 references to olive trees.<\/p>\n

In the last century olives have found their way to the furthest corners of the world, with an estimated 700 varieties.<\/p>\n

My personal favorite is Kalamata olives, which are dark eggplant-colored Greek style olives.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re usually packed in olive oil or vinegar, and are frequently slit so they absorb the flavour of the marinade in which they’re soaked.<\/p>\n

Olives should have a rich and fruity flavour.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Easy Tapenade Dip<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n