I Married A Greek and Fell in Love With an Olive

I wish I could tell you that I have always liked olives. Or that, wisely, I have always appreciated their pungency and slippery texture. But in fact, I used to hide from them at cocktail parties. I once broke into a cold sweat at Nectar when faced with a small plate of this tart little fruit.

Of course, as an avid eater, I couldn’t avoid them forever. This was especially true after I married a Greek and was repeatedly confronted with a plate of the Kalamata variety at every family dinner. Eventually, I learned to love ‘em and today am proud to say that I am a full fledged olive collector.

Thanks to the modern, high end grocery store, sampling different olives in Cincinnati has never been easier…

Take the Skytop Bigg’s on Beachmont Avenue, for example. Their large Delallo olive cart is so delicious looking, so well labeled and neatly organized, it’s impossible to pass up.

The bar features a dozen olive varieties in all sorts of marinades and herbs and spices. They also provide wine pairing suggestions. Did you know, for example, that you are supposed to drink Merlot with Garlic Stuffed Olives with Taleggio? The cooking inclined can snag a recipe book and learn how to make make olive butter or olive salsa at home. And if that’s not enough, scope out their array of antipasti.

My Favorites from the Olive Bar

• Olives Gigante: enormous green Sicilian cured olives, tart and crisp, infused with the flavor of Italian herbs and spices
• Mammoth Black Greek: rounded, dark brown to purple olive with light tartness and semi-soft flesh
• Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives: Sicilian style Sevillano olives from California, stuffed with heady blue cheese
• San Martino Italian Style Garlic Mushrooms: earthy, tender button mushrooms marinated in garlicky brine
• Roman Style Artichokes: From Puglia, Italy and mildly sweet, long-stemmed artichokes with delicate petals and lightly marinated
• Pepperazzi: Round red peppers with unique flavor, both sweet and hot

So, thanks to my second set of parents and to their parents who came to America from the island of Kalamos and the northern mountains of Karpenisi. Thanks for your patience at the dinner table. And for eventually, showing me the light.

Tagged as: biggs, dean's mediterranean imports, findlay market, olive bar, olives, whole foods