| Alternate Name: | Veal olives; veal birds |
| Country: | England |
| Type: | Meat casserole |
| Main Ingredient: | Beef or veal strips wrapped around stuffing |
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.
The word "olives" in the name of the dish is a corruption of "aloes" or "allowes", from the Old French alou, meaning lark.[1] 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 – French: alouettes sans tête ("larks without heads"). Likewise, an alternative English name is "veal birds".[2]
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 (German: [[Rinderroulade|Rouladen]]),[2] Poland (Polish: zrazy),[2] and the Czech Republic (Czech: ptachky);[2] in Italy, there are several names for versions of the dish, including Italian: involtini,[2] Italian: braciola[3] and Italian: pasteli.
Elizabeth David remarks of the French paupiettes that every cook has a different recipe for them.[4] Recipes vary likewise for the English equivalent:
| Cook/writer | Beef | Stuffing | Liquid | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Beeton | Rump, wrapped in bacon | Minced herbs | Beef and veal stock | [5] | |
| Mary Berry | Silverside or topside | Onions, bacon, mushrooms | Beef stock and tomato purée | [6] | |
| Robert Carrier | Topside | Onions, mushrooms, breadcrumbs | Beef stock | [7] | |
| Ceserani and Kinton | Lean beef | Onions, breadcrumbs | Brown stock | [8] | |
| Keith Floyd | Stewing beef | Minced pork | Red wine | [9] | |
| Prue Leith | Lean beef | Onions, sausage meat | Beef stock and tomato purée | [10] | |
| Richard Olney | Rump or round | Chopped pork, chopped hard-boiled eggs | unspecified | [11] | |
| Elizabeth Raffald | Rump | Breadcrumbs, bone marrow, lemon | "a Pint of Gravy" | [12] | |
| Gary Rhodes | Topside or rump | Minced chicken, onions, mushrooms | Red wine and veal stock | [13] | |
| Katie Stewart | Rump | Mushrooms, breadcrumbs | Stock (unspecified) | [14] |