Olives, Garlic & Parsley

A Healthy Trinity

The beauty of cooking is in its collaborative nature. Man harnesses nature, techniques manipulate flavor, and ingredients harmonize. The latter is the focal point here. Individual ingredients bond with others like atoms to create something entirely new. Flavor combinations are delights, but flavor trios are incredibly dynamic delights. And so, we will explore the gems of the Mediterranean. Admittedly, garlic has made its way into almost every kitchen and cuisine around the world. However, I am emphasizing it because it seems to take on a new identity in this group. Olives, garlic, and parsley are tantalizing partners. They are terrific in their own rights but much elevated and enhanced together.

Olives, Garlic & Parsley (2023)

An obvious member of the Parsley family of plants, this herb is related to a mafia of flavorful herbs used in all corners of the culinary world. Parsley has a light fragrant freshness that crawls up the nostrils the instant your blade slices through its delicate leaves. Versatility and subtlety come to my mind whenever I have Parsley in mind for a dish, endless flavor combinations & a lot of uses. Stems & roots for stocks, dense bunches minced for salads, or ribbon-like chiffonade cut leaves for indulgently garnishing just about anything. You will see small bits of it in some of the most refined cooking or almost overwhelming amounts of it in humble Persian peasant dishes.

A Bouquet of Parsley (2023)

There are several breeds of Parsley; it is as if each variant serves its own much in-demand purpose. Flat leaf (Italian) Parsley, Parsnip Parsley, curly leaf Parsley, ornamental dwarf varieties, dense-leaved ones, and much more, to name a few. This plant needs plenty of water to grow, pruning for better yields, and a lot of attention. Give the appropriate care, and this green silver has you covered in many health aspects. I mean, for crying out loud, it was first only used for medicinal purposes, but where does one draw the line between food and medicine? Parsley is renowned as a remedy for inflammation, digestive problems, and more; it is packed with vitamins, minerals & antioxidants that are good for you.

A Parsley Sprig (2023)

Another aromatic, one that has been an almost global staple for a while, is the overlooked garlic. After almost seamlessly shooting out of the ground, the driving force of the plant itself lays dormant underground, waiting to be dug out. A ball of garlic consists of a lot of cloves; a clove of garlic packs more surprises within. I kid you not when I say it is a gem. Anti-bacterial, anti-viral & anti-inflammatory by nature, garlic doesn’t give way to most threats. It fends off a myriad of invaders, regulates blood sugar and blood pressure even prevents blood clotting for those who consume it. No wonder beliefs of it being able to chase away evil spirits, demons, and even vampires have some acceptance worldwide. The health benefits are well known and sought after, but the many ways it can taste fascinate me more.

Peeled Garlic Cloves and Whole Balls (2023)

As a member of the onion family, among the likes of onions, shallots, scallions & chives, it shares some features and has potential. Specific tastes can only be brought out by various ways of treating the garlic, each technique uncovering another side. Cut across, mashed, minced, roasted, powdered, and fried, a confit perhaps? It can even taste like an entirely new ingredient for the unacquainted palate. I can’t think of any cuisine that doesn’t use garlic one way or another, little or plenty of it. Unmistakably Italian when paired with Basil, characteristically Japanese with Ginger; this shapeshifter is said to originate in the Caucuses, later slowly spreading its roots east and west. Every time I bite into garlic bread, dip bites in Aioli or Lebanese Toum, or smell freshly roasted - nearly molten - garlic in the oven, I am taken to different places; yet I still get this underlying warm feeling of satiating comfort which all starts from the soft crunching sound garlic skin makes when rubbed off.

Peeled and Unpeeled Garlic Cloves (2023)

As an avid nature lover, I often spend a lot of time immersing myself in the wilderness, contemplating within and interacting with my surroundings. I marvel at animal behavior and magnify the vivacity of beings people take for granted or even consider inanimate. Trees always seemed to me to have infinite wisdom accumulated through long existence. Each tree type has its unique sort and amount of wisdom. The olive tree often strikes me as one of the wisest and most nurturing, with good reason, I believe. This belief was only confirmed when I heard that the oldest Olive tree on record was 6,000 years old. Millennia of giving, this magnificent behemoth bore fruit annually. And yes, Olives are technically fruits, a thought I laugh at under my breath whenever I imagine people’s shock at this fact. Olive fruits are, excuse the redundancy, Olive-green before turning pitch black when ripe. Another specialty of the Mediterranean, pitted olives are just phenomenal, and almost the whole world can agree. I love the leathery brininess in my mouth, and the aesthetic value it can bring to a dish seeing the small black rings mingling with other shapes & colors is underrated.

Black and Green Olive Fruits (2023)

The most common way of consuming Olives, I must say, is in oil form. Olive oil has been the center of a craze for some time now. Pomace, virgin, extra virgin, extra extra virgin, this liquid gold has been obsessed over since the Romans. Cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive oil has often been made the same way for centuries now; an olive press run by mules or donkeys is a thing of beauty if you ask me. A delicacy some wouldn’t mind drinking on its own, and it truly is the elixir of youth. Its health benefits are not up for questioning. Lotion, moisturizer, hair food, lubricant, salad dressing & the fat of Mediterranean cuisine all in one; Olive oil is at the heart of the food and beauty industry for a good reason. It is hard to get your hands on the real deal; there is a global underground industry built on adulterated replicas alone.

Some Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (2023)

This flavor triad is a goldmine; its members are complementary and integral to the identity of the cuisines they are native to. One can see the plethora of varieties at hand by simply switching up the proportions, forms, and techniques implemented and playing around with other factors. There is so much to explore and enjoy in this rich and abundant world. The possibilities are endless. Reminded that there are many routes to satisfaction, I can say that Olives, Garlic & Parsley give me another reason to enjoy life more.

Olives, Garlic & Parsley for Prepping (2023)