Are you a social person? Do you enjoy sitting with friends at a well-set table and having a good time? Then I have the perfect recipe for you because good food tastes even better when shared with family and friends. Zeytoon Parvardeh – Persian marinated Olives is a delicious side dish made with green olives, pomegranate molasses, verjuice, walnuts, aromatic fresh herbs, and garlic. Along the Caspian Sea in the Gilan province in northern Persia, Zeytoon Parvardeh are served as mezze or, as we call it, Mazeh, accompanying the main dishes.

Give it a try, and I promise you, these are the best-marinated olives you’ve ever tasted. The preparation is simple and quick, and the flavor is delicious. You can also prepare it with dried herbs in case you don’t have fresh herbs. If you like, you can garnish it with pomegranate seeds. In just a few minutes, you’ll create a fantastic Mezze that is also a perfect gift from your kitchen. Fill the marinated olives into a beautiful jar and present it as a gift.

Watch my how to prepare Video on Instagram 

ZEYTOON PARVARDEH – PERSIAN MARINATED OLIVES AS MAZEH (MEZZE)

Zeytoon Parvardeh is perfect as a Mazeh (Mezze) and is indispensable for an oriental Mezze table. For Mezze, we place delicious treats in the middle of the table, and you can take whatever and how much you like. In Persia, we serve starters and main courses at the same time. So, gather your friends, prepare different Mezze dishes, and have fun sharing. In Persia, we share specific dishes with friends, family, neighbors, and poor people, both on joyous and sad occasions. We call this food offering Nazri, and I’ve written about this beautiful ritual here. All in the spirit of “Sharing is Caring!”

OLIVES IN IRAN

Marinated olives always remind me of our vacations on the Caspian Sea, because lots of olive trees grow in northern Persia. In ancient times, Iran was a major olive-growing region together with Syria and Greece. The most famous olive-growing areas in northern Persia are mainly in the provinces of Zanjan and Golestan. On the way to the Caspian Sea, coming from the mountains, the silvery olive trees, also known as olive trees, appear on the slopes in the valley of Sefid-Rud in Gilan. There are many olive groves in the town of Rudbar, which lives up to its name Rudbar-e Zeytoon, meaning the olive town on the banks of the river.

You can buy olive oil or pickled olives piled up in bowls at the roadside, in the olive stores or in the bazaar. There are an incredible number of different olive varieties. The traditional varieties from Persia are called Zard, Rowghani and Mari. There are also many olive-growing regions in the south of Persia, such as Fars, Kerman, Kochestan, Hormozgan and Sistan-Baluchestan.

PICKLE YOUR OWN FRESH GREEN OLIVES

I used fresh, intact olives for the recipe and soaked them for about six weeks. You can skip this and buy green olives from the jar and marinate them straight away, this saves a lot of time. Fresh green olives from the tree are very bitter and not edible. If you want to pickle them yourself, you will need a lot of patience, but it’s more than worth the effort. First, wash out the bitter substances of the olives in a water bath, and soak the fresh olives in water for approx. 4 – 6 weeks. I beat the olives lightly with a mallet to remove the bitterness faster. I have a weakness for imperfections, even in fruit and vegetables, so I like the look of the burst olives.

Place the olives in a glass jar and fill with water. It is best to weigh the olives down with a plate, as they like to float on top and be sure to change the water daily. After 4 – 6 weeks, test if they taste bitter, and continue until they are edible. A week of salt water bath (fermentation) follows. To do this, dissolve seven tablespoons of salt in a liter of water, rinse the olives, and add. Leave to stand for another week, and make sure all the olives are covered with salt water. As I said, it takes a little time, but it’s worth the effort.

MORE MAZEH (MEZZE) RECIPES

In addition to the marinated olives, my mezze board also includes Harissa Hummus, Kashk-e Bademjan – eggplant dip, Mast o Musir – Persian wild garlic yogurt, Mast-o Khiyar – yogurt dip with cucumber and raisins, Sabzi Khordan – Persian herb wrap with sheep’s cheese, Mirza Ghasemi – Persian smoky eggplant dip, Dolmeh Barg-e Mo – Persian stuffed vine leaves, Mast-e Chekideh – labneh, Borani Esfenadj – Persian spinach and yogurt dip with home-baked Nan-e Barbari – Persian flatbread and Lavash Bread from the pan.

GREEN OLIVES IN TEB-E SONATI

Teb-e Sonati is a Persian traditional medicine similar to Ayurveda or Traditional Chinese Medicine. In Teb-e Sonati, olives belong to warm and dry foods, so people with a hot temperament should eat olives sparingly. Zeytoon Parvardeh is appetite-stimulating, aphrodisiac, and is a good food for sleeplessness. Olives are recommended in Persia to keep the heart and blood vessels healthy and to prevent cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. The unsaturated fats in olives reduce cholesterol levels and blood pressure and are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Rheumatoid arthritis patients may experience improvement in their inflammation levels by incorporating olives into their daily diet or using olive oil in cooking, as olives act as a painkiller. They also prevent diabetes.

When I was pregnant with our first son, I intuitively snacked on olives every day in the first few months of pregnancy. Today, I know that olives contain lots of folic acid, which protects against fetal malformations. They also provide high amounts of vitamins A, B, and E. Olives can help to prevent the skin from aging and make it soft and wrinkle-free. They are, therefore, the ultimate anti-aging food ever.

PICKLE YOUR OWN FRESH GREEN OLIVES

300 g fresh green olives

Fresh water

7 tbsps Salt, after 4 – 5 weeks

PREPARATION OF FRESH GREEN OLIVES

Beat the olives lightly with a meat tenderizer, then place in a glass container and pour in water. It is best to weigh the olives with a plate, as they like to float on top. Changing the water every day is very important. After four weeks, test whether they still taste bitter,if so, continue until they are edible. Now, soak them for another week with seven tablespoons of salt to one liter of water. All of the olives must be covered with salt water. Only after this process can you marinate them.

INGREDIENTS ZEYTOON PARVARDEH

For 6 people

150 g walnuts*

2 garlic cloves

50 g chopped fresh mint

50 g fresh coriander (optional)

1 bay leaf*

4 tbsp olive oil*

4 tbsp pomegranate molasses*

2 tbsp verjus*

1 tsp salt*

1/2 tsp pepper*

1 tbsp ground golpar (optional) or anise seeds

300 g green olives

TOPPING (optional)

1 Pomegranate,  seeded

PREPARATION ZEYTOON PARVARDEH

Roast the walnuts in a pan over medium heat until fragrant; do not allow them to burn; otherwise, they will taste bitter. Leave to cool and chop finely in a blender. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Wash the herbs, dry well, and chop finely.

Mix the olive oil with the pomegranate molasses, verjus, salt, pepper, ground golpar, garlic, herbs, and walnuts. Drain the olives, add to the marinade mix well, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds just before serving.

Marinated olives keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. The longer, the more intense the taste.

BEFARMAYID!

Susan

The items marked with * are affiliate links, referral links. If you buy through this link, I get a small commission. The price stays the same for you and you can easily support my efforts. A big thank you ♥

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