Many foods are acquired tastes -- they're not immediately liked by everyone (like, say, something like macaroni and cheese, which if you don't like, you're crazy) and they take some warming up to. Olives are one of those foods.
Many people can't stand olives and have no interest in ever coming around to them. Admittedly, some of us at HuffPost Taste took a while to appreciate olives. We speak from experience, then, when we say to all the olive-haters out there, it's worth giving this fruit a second chance. Olives make olive oil, after all!
There are ways to ease into the world of olives. Olive tapenade, a mixture of puréed or finely chopped olives, on grilled bread is a good place to start. You could also try olives with meat or chicken, where their flavor isn't overwhelming but adds some depth to the dish. You could also try them stuffed with cheese, breaded and fried -- those would be pretty hard not to like. (See the Olive all'Ascolana pictured below).
If you're skeptical, we urge you to reconsider. You'll be happy you did, and we're here to make the process as painless as possible. Here are 10 recipes to ease you into liking olives.
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