Taggiasca Olives Are Great For Olive Oil Or For A Snack

If you are looking for a delicious Italian olive that you can enjoy as an oil, as an ingredient or as a quick snack, look no further than Taggiasca olives.

While I love olive oil and I usually enjoy when olives are added as a minor player in an Italian favorite, my tastes have grown to embrace the Taggiasca Olive that I now look to add as a star in a salad or main dish. These are delicious olives that you need to check out and try in a couple of our recipes listed below.

How Do You Pronounce Taggiasca Olives?

Taggiasca is an Italian word, so there are a couple of pronunciation rules you might want to be aware of. This isn’t a phonetic representation of how to pronounce the word, but more of an easy to read guide that I think you will find more useful.

Taggiasca is broken down into three syllables, with the stress on the second: TAH-JAH-SKA. You don’t want to make the mistake of splitting the middle syllable into two, like ta-jee-as-ka, so keep it simple as three syllables.

There is a variation of this word, Taggiasche, which is the plural of Taggiasca and you want to make sure you pronounce it correctly, which is to say the final syllable as SKAY and not SHAY, so the word is: TAH-JAH-SKAY (again, with the second syllable stressed).

What Is The Origin Of Taggiasca Olives?

These olives originate from the town of Taggia, which is in the Ligurian region of northwest Italy, south of Turin and very close to Nice, France. You can find these olives all over the world, and they are grown in different regions of Italy, but the real Taggiasca olive is DOP certified and you should try to find the authentic olive if you can.

Taggiasca Olives - Multi-Colored — Multi-Colored

What Do Taggiasca Olives Taste Like?

These olives are smaller than other, more common Italian olives that are found in the US. They can be found with their pits removed, which is a big help in the kitchen, and if you are looking for a quick snack. The flavor is described as fruity and sweet, with an aftertaste of almonds and pine nuts. These olives are more subtle than what you might be used to, which is great if you aren’t a big fan of olives, like I was before tasting these.

Are Taggiasca Olives Black?

They are considered black olives, but I wouldn’t confuse this color with a more common Kalamata olive, or what are literally called Black Olives in the US. These have a bit more of a dark green shade to them, but not as unnaturally bright green as the pimento stuffed version you might be familiar with.

What Is A Substitute For Taggiasche Olives?

For me, these Taggiasca olives have a pretty unique and pleasing taste that I haven’t found in more popular olives, so I would make the effort to find the real version. But we all know that imported Italian olives can be difficult to find without going to a specialty store, so if you NEED to use a substitute, the more popular Greek Kalamata olive might do in a pinch, but these flavors are definitely different.

Another choice, which is good because geographically these are very close, would be the French Niçoise olives (pronounced “NEES-wahz“). These are grown in the southeastern part of the country, bordering Italy on the Mediterranean coast. As I mentioned, geographically, you would be hard pressed to find a better substitute.

What Are The Best Olives For Snacking?

This is, of course, based entirely on your favorite olives, but because I wanted to focus on the Taggiasca olives, you should expect that these would be my answer. In addition to the mild tastes and fruity flavor, you can easily find these (in Italy) already pitted and they come in smaller jars or even foil pouches. Get some wine, crackers and some of these olives and you have a great snack, in my opinion.

How To Use Taggiasca Olives In A Recipe

If you enjoyed this description of the delicious Taggiasca olives and you were looking for some suggestions on recipes where these fit perfectly, take a look at the links below: