Green Olive Deviled Eggs
To skip the post and step-by-step instructions and go straight to recipe, click here. All sources used in research for this post are linked in the text.It’s time to get the party started with the first recipe in my ‘20’s Halloween party food series! And only the best parties start with a history lesson...right? Don’t worry, it’ll be fun, and you’ll learn a lot, I promise!
Today’s versions of deviled eggs, which often grace picnic tables at family holidays, are a fair bit different than those that may have been on platters at a real party in the roaring 20’s. Our modern version typically contains mustard, pickles or vinegar, paprika, and almost always some form of mayonnaise (as well as, depending on where you’re from, probably some other goodies like bacon or caviar). But 100 years ago, they looked a little different.
The Mayonnaise
While mayonnaise is the binder of choice for almost all current deviled egg recipes, it wasn’t even commercially available in the United States until 1907, and wasn’t regularly used in this iconic dish until the 1940’s. The original versions of these creamy appetizers can date all the way back to ancient Rome, and more recently, 13th century Spain (then Andalusia). There, the yolks were mashed with spices, onion juice, fermented fish sauce, salt, and oil, and the two halves were skewered back together after being filled. I think I’d take some Hellmann’s over fermented fish sauce, but don’t knock it till you try it, I guess!
The Vinegar
Since the beginning of this savory treat, it has almost always contained some sort of vinegar or vinegar-soaked ingredient. Vinegar itself is an ancient ingredient, dating all the way back to the year 5000 BC in Babylon, where it was referred to as “poor man’s wine”. These days, many deviled egg recipes call for pickle relish, which may very well have been included in some served in the ‘20’s, as Heinz has been making versions of relish since the late 1880’s.
It probably would have been considered a bit adventurous to include green olives in your deviled eggs, like these, however. But, olives were indeed very popular by themselves, and would likely have been available for snacking at any soiree. While canned foods, including olives, had become more easily accessible in the very early 1900’s, their popularization rose in the later 1920’s due to an increase in food safety laws, making them more reliable.
The Mustard
While it’s hard to say whether mustard was used in old-school deviled eggs, it was definitely growing in popularity at the time. Yellow mustard was introduced to the United States at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 (on a hot dog, who’s surprised), and French’s classic yellow mustard became available in glass jars at the grocery store in 1915, putting it right in the timeline to be added to the party hors d’oeuvres of the early 1900’s.
In our recipe today, I don’t use much mustard, but it can certainly be upped for mustard fans! I also used dried mustard over prepared mustard for the final version of this, to keep the filling on the thicker side.
The Paprika
Despite scrounging the internet, I wasn’t able to find too many paprika timelines. But, I do know that paprika has come to be very popular in the foodie world as of late, and can come in many different levels of heat and smokiness. The plain ol’ store brand paprika that you can purchase at any grocery shop (and I’ll admit, has a place in my spice drawer as well) won’t have much of a kick, which is okay in some cases. You can feel free to use any paprika you have on hand, or have fun with it and add your own twist with something extra spicy or smoky! I used a mild paprika that I feel lets the olives and other flavors shine through more.
As for the deviled eggs of the 1920’s, I would hazard a guess to say that they likely didn’t include the signature sprinkle of paprika that we associate with them today. After looking through some vintage recipe cards for deviled eggs from the 50’s through the 70’s, I found that none of those even contained any, which surprised me quite a bit! The recipes I came across included mayo, salt and pepper, worchestershire sauce, and often minced green pepper, pimentos, or onions.
Now that you’re all caught up on a brief history of deviled eggs, let’s get cooking!
Step-By-Step Walk-through:
If you’re feeling confident in your cooking skills and want to skip the walk-through, click here.
Step 1:
Boil Eggs
Place 8 raw eggs in the bottom of a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover all the eggs. For easier peeling after they’re cooked, try to get eggs that aren’t as fresh (that may sound unpleasant, but just look for eggs with a closer expiration date when shopping, it does make a difference).
Put pot over high heat, uncovered. As soon as the water begins to boil, cover the pot, and turn off the heat. Leaving the pot on the turned off burner, allow the eggs to sit in the hot water, covered, for 8 minutes.
Drain the hot water from the pot and either run cold water over the eggs until they’re not longer warm to the touch, OR remove the eggs from the pot and place them in a bowl of ice water.
Step 2:
Peel the Eggs
When the eggs are cool, peel each egg by cracking the shell all over against a hard surface, and chipping it off of the egg. Not all of mine peeled perfectly cleanly, but to make them look nicer, slice them in a place where they peeled the cleanest, so you have less chips out of the sides visible (so the broken bits are on the bottom).
Step 3:
Remove the Yolks
When the eggs are all peeled, cut them in half lengthwise and gently scoop out the yolks with a spoon into a medium bowl.
Step 4:
Make the Filling
To make the filling, start by finely dicing 12 green olives with pimentos.
Next, finely chop 2 teaspoons of fresh parsley. Any extra can be set aside for garnish later.
Add the olives and parsley to the egg yolks, along with 1 ½ teaspoons of the brine from the olives, ⅓ cup of mayonnaise, ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (pre-ground is okay, but it will be a bit less peppery-tasting), ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, and ½ teaspoon seasoned salt (I used Lawry’s).
Mash all the filling ingredients together with a fork until well-combined.
Step 5:
Fill the Eggs
To fill the eggs, you can either scoop the filling with a spoon into each empty egg white, or you can scoop the filling into a piping bag with a large opening or with a large round tip and squeeze the filling into each egg white divot.
Step 6:
Garnish
To garnish, chop more fresh parsley and sprinkle over the deviled eggs.
Then, slice more green olives and place one green olive slice on the filling of each egg half. Place on a platter, and if desired, over ice or lettuce leaves.
Green Olive Deviled Eggs
Servings: 16 Time: 30-45 minutes
Difficulty: 🧡🧡🤍🤍🤍
Ingredients:
8 eggs
12 green olives stuffed with pimentos (finely diced) plus more for garnish (sliced)
½ tsp. fresh chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
1 ½ teaspoons olive brine
⅓ cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
Directions:
Step 1: Boil the Eggs
Place eggs in a large pot and fill with enough water to fully submerge all the eggs. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as the water begins to boil, turn the heat off but leave the pot on the burner and cover it. Allow to sit, covered, for 8 minutes.
When the 8 minutes are up, drain out the hot water and cool the eggs by either running cold water over them, or placing the eggs in a bowl of ice water until no longer warm to the touch.
Step 2: Peel the Eggs
When the eggs are cool, remove the shell by cracking it all over against a hard surface and chipping off the shell.
Step 3: Remove the Yolks
When all the eggs are peeled, slice them in half lengthwise and gently scoop the yolks into a medium bowl with a spoon.
Step 4: Make the Filling
Add the diced green olives, chopped parsley, olive brine, mayonnaise, and seasonings to the yolks and mash them with a fork until well-combined.
Step 5: Fill the Eggs
To fill the eggs, you can either scoop the filling with a spoon into each empty egg white, or you can scoop the filling into a piping bag with a large opening or with a large round tip and squeeze the filling into each egg white divot.
Step 6: Garnish
Sprinkle each egg with additional chopped parsley, and place a slice of green olive on top of the filling of each egg. Place on a platter, and if desired, over ice or lettuce leaves.