Mediterranean Sauce-Making for American Kitchens: Across the Mediterranean, one of the great gifts of the olive oil kitchen is a whole collection of sauces—including dips and spreads—that always include olive oil with ingredients ranging from nuts and seeds to spices, herbs, and other aromatics. Learn about the world of sauces that the Mediterranean has to offer!
Many would argue, with good reason, that the very best Mediterranean sauce is simply a great olive oil, well-chosen to match the food being prepared. However, across the Mediterranean region, one of the strokes of genius of the olive oil kitchen was the development of a whole collection of pounded or blended sauces that always include olive oil and garlic with ingredients ranging from nuts and seeds to spices, herbs, and other aromatics; tomatoes; peppers; eggplant; citrus; and/or yogurt. Variations of this focus on pulses with olive oil.
These sauces are typically raw (though they could include some cooked items) and served cold or at room temperature. They are sometimes used in foods (e.g., pesto added to pasta) but more often than not they are served with foods or separately as a dip. The collection as a whole is a model of optimal healthfulness, blending together multiple health-promoting ingredients (e.g., extra virgin olive oil with tree nuts such as walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts). And yet most American chefs and cooks take very little advantage of this delicious chapter of the Mediterranean diet story, whether serving traditional versions or adapting to signature concepts.
Explore olive oil-based sauces and dips from around the Mediterranean
Click on each Mediterranean region below to explore its classic sauces and dips. While there are thousands of regional variations of these sauces around the Mediterranean, we’ve noted some classics here to get you inspired. Know of a sauce or variation we should include? Let us know!
Sauces of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East
Sauces of the Western and Central European Mediterranean
Sauces of North Africa
Olive Oil and the Plant-Forward Kitchen: A Sauce Discovery Project
This report is a joint project of The Culinary Institute of America and The Menus of Change University Research Collaborative the International Olive Council. It involved more than 30 members of the MCURC Executive Chefs’ Committee who set out to uncover the most-promising, lesser-known olive oil-based sauces that could easily be adopted by their dining operations. This project shines a bright light on a collection of dishes and flavor strategies that deserve wider recognition within campus dining and beyond.
Healthy, sustainable, culturally rich, intriguing, and delicious—what more could you ask for from new additions to our culinary toolkits? We invite you to join us on this sensory and culinary adventure. Download the report here.