One of my backpacking staples used to be black olive paste. It’s good on crackers and a great pasta ingredient*, lightweight, and it has a good shelf life–so it’s perfect for backpacking.
But some years ago the two main brands (Amore and Gia) both apparently stopped making it. I have no idea why; I just can’t find it anymore. Anywhere.
Does anyone know a) what happened (supply problems? insufficient demand? food safety issues?), and/or b) if there’s any current source for olive paste in tubes? (I’ve done a lot of Googling so I don’t hold out much hope for the latter, but hey, it’s worth a try.)
Thanks in advance,
Tom
*My basic dinner strategy on solo trips was to bring capellini (boils quickly, so it doesn’t get as gummy at the lower boiling temperatures you have at high elevation), a little olive oil, and tubes of tomato, garlic, anchovy, and olive paste. Insta-puttanesca, sort of, and very yummy.
Oh, great question. I’d love to find some as well. I’ve also googled quite a bit. All I’ve seen has been jarred paste, which doesn’t last as long. It would be great to have some of that quick umami in place of anchovies for my vegetarian son.
Thanks for the link. It sounds delicious, but not quite vegetarian. There are anchovies listed in the ingredients. Maybe someone will make something similar either vegan or vegetarian.
They have all different sizes, and are really sturdy- once unclipped they are easy to clean too. My dad has been backpacking for long trips for decades and always uses these (anything from peanut butter and his favorite jam to the spicy sauce concoction he makes himself)