Olive relish

Olive relish

　　The Chaoshan region is abundant in olives, and olive relish can be said to be the most common and popular preserved condiment made from olives among the locals. Legend has it that in the past, many men from the Chaoshan area left home to seek work elsewhere. To ensure their husbands could enjoy fresh-tasting olives when they returned, the women at home would preserve the olives with salt and galangal. This is how olive relish came to be. The fragrance of the olives, combined with the salty and spicy kick of the galangal and salt, makes it particularly good for stimulating appetite and aiding digestion — key characteristics of this condiment. As a result, Chaoshan people not only eat it as a relish with congee for breakfast but also often use it as a seasoning when cooking fish to help eliminate the fishy smell.

　　　　Making olive relish is relatively simple: crush 10 kilograms of olives, mix in 3 kilograms of salt and 3 kilograms of mashed galangal, add an appropriate amount of cold water, and stir until well blended. The relish can be eaten right after preparation or stored for later use.

　　　　Olives taste sweet and slightly sour, are neutral in nature, and affect the spleen, stomach, and lung meridians. They help clear heat and toxins, soothe the throat, resolve phlegm, and promote the production of body fluids to relieve thirst. Galangal warms the stomach, dispels cold, aids digestion, and relieves pain. It also helps warm the spleen and stomach, expel wind-cold, and regulate qi to alleviate pain. The combination of these two ingredients gives olive relish its remarkable health benefits.