The olive route

Don’t you just hate the Cape? Not only do they have those fabulous wines, but they can now lay claim to some of the best olives and olive oil as well. Do yourself a favour and when next you’re in a deli, hunt around for some Kloovenburg olive jam. Go home and toast some ciabatta, drizzle it with olive oil and rub it with a fresh clove of peeled garlic. Smear it with a luxurious teaspoon of olive jam and plop a piece of blue cheese on top. Close your eyes and take a convincing bite … The world will seem a better a place, I promise you. Small wonder Kloovenburg Estate’s olive oil was voted among the 15 best in the world last year.

Olives have been with us for many moons. Those warriors who poured out of the Trojan horse almost certainly had bread and olives for breakfast and Alexander the Great marched his army from Greece to modern-day Iraq and beyond on the same two staples. Roman soldiers added whatever bits they could find (seafood, meat, cheese or veggies) to these two ingredients and toasted the whole lot over open fires — hallo the pizza …

If you’re stuck in Gauteng for the holidays — fear not. The Tapenade Olive Shop in Cresta shopping centre is a gem of place entirely devoted to the marvels of the olive. A choice of 60 different South African olive oils, marinated olives, jams, Rhebokskraal chocolates with olives (I know, what’s next — olive ice cream?) — are all there, ready to be sniffed and sampled. Walking through that shop makes you feel like you’ve stumbled on a fabulous secret you can’t wait to share.

Now, it’s not every day one can pop over to the Mediteranean for some olive treats and Roman soldiers are so damned elusive, so why not go on a culinary meander to some of the best olive spots on the local map? Head out of Cape Town to the Saxenberg Wine Farm near Kuils River and sample their wares. From there, it’s a short hop to the historic university town of Stellenbosch. The entire Dorp Street has been declared a heritage site with the architecture, art galleries and fragrant coffee shops to match. Here your olive stop would be Eikendal Vineyards. Somerset West is a mere 11km away, home to the famous Morgenster Estate which specialises in olives and related products. Back in Cape Town, pop into Melissa’s deli — arguably the best known foodie shopping spot in the city.

If you’re up for a day trip, then make the hamlet of Riebeek Kasteel your destination and visit the Olive Boutique in town and the charming Kloovenburg Estate with its bewildering array of olive-based products. Artists, eccentrics, good chefs, the local hotel and energetic merchants and barmen have put this charming town on the map. Also, the wine co-op down the road sells good, affordable wines. It’s about an hour from Cape Town on a good day (light traffic), vineyards grow between the houses and one home’s front garden is actually an olive orchard. It’s the one town where the church and the bar literally stand langs mekaar (next door to each other).

Whoever that wise soul was who decided 80 years ago that it would be a good idea to introduce olive trees to the Cape — we owe you thanks for your foresight.

The lowdown

Other ‘olive spots’:

Websites to explore: