Beef olives are an English meat dish consisting of slices of beef rolled and tied round a stuffing and braised in stock. Veal is sometimes used instead of beef, but the latter has been more common since the 18th century. Similar dishes are familiar in cuisines of other countries including France, Italy, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.
History and etymology The word "olives" in the name of the dish is a corruption of "aloes" or "allowes", from the Old French alou, meaning lark.Ayto, p. 26 It was held that the small stuffed beef (or veal) rolls resembled little birds, particularly those whose heads had been cut off in being prepared for the table. In The Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson observes that although the standard French term for similar beef rolls is paupiettes they have an alternative name – ("larks without heads"). Likewise, an alternative English name is "veal birds".Davidson, p. 69
In English usage the term beef (or veal) olives dates back to at least the 16th century. John Florio in his A Worlde of Wordes (1598) refers to "That meate which we call oliues of veale". By the 18th century, beef was more commonly used than veal. Elizabeth Raffald in The Experienced English Housekeeper (1769) gives a recipe for the beef version, as in the 19th century does Mrs Beeton (1861).
Davidson comments that similar rolled and stuffed beef (or veal) dishes are found in the cookery of Germany (), Poland (), and the Czech Republic (); in Italy, there are several names for versions of the dish, including , Carluccio, p. 106 and .
Ingredients Elizabeth David remarks of the French paupiettes that every cook has a different recipe for them.David, p. 351 Recipes vary likewise for the English equivalent: Cook/writerBeefStuffingLiquidRef Mrs Beeton Rump, wrapped in bacon Minced herbs Beef and veal stock Beeton, p. 56 Mary Berry Silverside or topside Onions, bacon, mushrooms Beef stock and tomato purée Berry, pp. 34–35 Robert Carrier Topside Onions, mushrooms, breadcrumbs Beef stock Carrier, p. 127 Ceserani and Kinton Lean beef Onions, breadcrumbs Brown stock Ceserani and Kinton, pp. 171–172 Keith Floyd Stewing beef Minced pork Red wine Floyd, p. 103 Prue Leith Lean beef Onions, sausage meat Beef stock and tomato purée Leith, p. 157 Richard Olney Rump or round Chopped pork, chopped hard-boiled eggs unspecified Olney, p. 94 Elizabeth Raffald Rump Breadcrumbs, bone marrow, lemon "a Pint of Gravy" Raffald, pp. 104–105 Gary Rhodes Topside or rump Minced chicken, onions, mushrooms Red wine and veal stock Rhodes, p. 124 Katie Stewart Rump Mushrooms, breadcrumbs Stock (unspecified) Stewart, p. 68
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