Rosemary Spiced Nuts and Warm Olives

Use a variety of olive types for visual interest and flavor complexity. Warm nuts are more aromatic than room temperature. The orange zest adds subtle brightness without being identifiable. Keep olives warm in a small pot or fondue warmer during the party.

The pairing of warm olives with rosemary and garlic draws on one of the most ancient and continuous culinary traditions in the Mediterranean world. Olive cultivation dates back at least six thousand years in the Eastern Mediterranean, with wild olive tree specimens documented in the Jordan Valley and the Caucasus regions from even earlier periods. The olive was among the first cultivated trees in human history, and olive oil was the foundational fat of ancient Greek, Roman, Phoenician, and Egyptian cooking. Warming preserved olives in olive oil with aromatics before serving — a technique practiced across the Mediterranean from Spain to Greece — releases the volatile terpene compounds in the olive flesh and transforms a room-temperature preserved product into a warm, aromatic, deeply flavored accompaniment. In Spain, aceitunas aliñadas (marinated olives) with herbs and spices are a canonical tapa. In Italian aperitivo culture, warm olives with rosemary, chili, and orange peel are a standard pre-dinner offering at almost any wine bar from Venice to Sicily. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus), native to the Mediterranean and documented in ancient Roman and Greek cooking, has a particular affinity for olive oil — both contain similar terpene compounds — which is why the combination has remained standard for thousands of years.