French · Small Black-Brown
Niçoise Olive
From Nice and Provence, southern France
The Niçoise is a small, oval, brownish-black olive from the Provence region of southern France. Cured in brine with herbs — typically thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf — it has a complex, nutty, slightly bitter, herbal flavor profile. Small but packed with flavor, the Niçoise is the defining olive of the famous Salade Niçoise and is essential to Provençal cooking. It's almost always sold with the pit, which helps preserve its flavor and texture.
Complex, nutty, slightly bitter, and herbaceous — often with notes of wine and herbs from the curing brine. The flesh is relatively thin around a large pit and slightly soft, with a deep savory flavor that's more nuanced than larger varieties.
Salade Niçoise: The quintessential use — alongside tuna, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, and anchovies.
Tapenade: Their complex herbal flavor makes an especially nuanced Provençal tapenade.
Pissaladière: The classic Niçois flatbread topped with caramelized onions, anchovies, and Niçoise olives.
Braised Dishes: Add to braised lamb, chicken, or fish for a classic Provençal flavor profile.
True Niçoise olives come from the Cailletier variety of olive tree, grown in the foothills above Nice. The name refers to the city of Nice (in French, à la niçoise means "in the style of Nice").
Because Niçoise olives have a large pit relative to their flesh, they're almost always sold unpitted — a helpful reminder to warn guests at the dinner table!