Olive Ascolane — Stuffed Fried Olives of Ascoli Piceno

Ascoli Piceno, Marche. The olive ascolana IGP protects the specific olive variety and the production method. The dish is documented in Ascoli Piceno from at least the 19th century as a way to use the abundant local Ascolana olive crop.

Olive ascolane are the finest fried olive in Italy: the large, firm, mild Ascolana Tenera olive (an IGP variety grown exclusively around Ascoli Piceno) is pitted, stuffed with a seasoned meat filling (minced beef and pork, with chicken and prosciutto, bound with egg and Parmigiano, flavoured with nutmeg and lemon zest), double-coated in egg wash and breadcrumbs, and fried in olive oil until golden. They are eaten immediately as street food or antipasto — and the combination of the olive's firm, slightly bitter flesh with the rich, spiced meat filling is something no other ingredient can replicate.

The Ascolana Tenera olive is mild and firm — it provides a slightly bitter, saline background to the sweet, spiced meat filling. The crunchy double-breadcrumb crust contrasts with the yielding olive flesh and the tender filling. Eaten hot from the fryer, the combination is extraordinary — nothing like a stuffed olive from a jar.