Zeytin Ezmesi

Ottoman olive and walnut spread with red pepper, pomegranate molasses and fresh herbs

Origin: Istanbul & Aegean coast, Ottoman Empire (modern Turkey)

From the journey of Olive.

When Mehmed II captured Constantinople in 1453 and renamed it Istanbul, making it the capital of the expanding Ottoman Empire, he inherited a city at the junction of two continents and a cuisine drawing on centuries of Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Anatolian traditions. The olive had been cultivated around the Aegean and on the slopes of what is now western Turkey for millennia: the Izmir, Bodrum, and Hatay coasts produce some of the world's finest table olives and oils, including the prized Memecik and Ayvalık varieties. In Ottoman palace cuisine, developed across centuries in the kitchens of Topkapı and Dolmabahçe, olive preparations evolved from simple preserved fruits into complex mezze components incorporating the ingredients of empire: walnuts from the Black Sea coast, pomegranate molasses from Anatolia, dried red pepper from Hungary and the Levant, and fresh herbs from the palace gardens. Zeytin ezmesi; ezme meaning paste or crush; represents this synthesis. Unlike tapenade, which is emulsified with oil to a smooth paste, zeytin ezmesi is a roughly chopped or pounded preparation with a loose, textured consistency, eaten as a mezze spread with pide or lavash at the start of a meal. The pomegranate molasses adds a Levantine sweetness that distinguishes it from western Mediterranean olive pastes, and the walnuts give substance. It is served throughout Turkey today as a standard component of the mezze table, one of the preparations that defines the Ottoman culinary legacy.

Ingredients

Paste

250 g good black olives, pitted (Kalamata, or Turkish Gemlik or Kargı olives)
60 g walnuts, roughly broken
1 small red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped (or ½ tsp dried red pepper flakes)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp pomegranate molasses
½ tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, Turkish if possible

Herbs

2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
1 spring onion finely sliced

Seasoning

freshly ground black pepper

To Serve

pide, lavash, or crusty bread, to serve

Method

Combine the pitted olives, walnuts, chilli, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until roughly chopped; the mixture should look chunky and uneven, not smooth. Alternatively, chop everything by hand on a board for a more rustic texture.
Transfer the chopped mixture to a bowl. Stir in the pomegranate molasses, cumin, and olive oil. Mix well.
Add the chopped parsley, mint, and spring onion. Mix to combine. Taste and adjust: the paste may need black pepper, and depending on the olive variety, a little more pomegranate molasses for sweetness or another small glug of olive oil.
Transfer to a serving dish and allow to rest for 10–15 minutes at room temperature before serving: the flavours sharpen and meld as they stand. Serve with warm pide, lavash, or crusty bread as part of a mezze spread.

Notes

Turkish olive varieties worth seeking out: Gemlik (small, black, mild and slightly buttery, the most widely cultivated Turkish variety); Kargı (large, meaty, from the Çanakkale region); and Memecik (small, green-to-black, with a fruity, slightly spicy flavour from the Aegean coast near Izmir). Any good Kalamata olive works as a substitute. Pomegranate molasses is available in Turkish, Arab, and Persian grocery stores. The fresh herbs are essential and should be added at the last moment to preserve their colour and fragrance.

The Gastrographer

Name: Zeytin Ezmesi
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Ottoman Empire
Ingredients: 250 g good black olives, pitted (Kalamata, or Turkish Gemlik or Kargı olives); 60 g walnuts, roughly broken; 1 small red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped (or ½ tsp dried red pepper flakes); 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped; 1 tsp pomegranate molasses; ½ tsp ground cumin; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, Turkish if possible; 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped; 1 spring onion finely sliced; freshly ground black pepper; pide, lavash, or crusty bread, to serve

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control