{{short description|Type of deli meat loaf stuffed with olives}} {{distinguish|Olive bread}} {{Infobox prepared food | name = Olive loaf | image = Olive loaf sandwich.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = Sliced olive loaf on a sandwich made with olive bread | alternate_name = | country = United States (derived from Italian charcuterie traditions) | region = | creator = | course = Typically served as a sandwich filling or cold platter deli meat | type = Cold cut | served = Cold or at room temperature | main_ingredient = Meat mixture (commonly beef, pork, and chicken) and pimiento-stuffed green olives | other = }} '''Olive loaf''' is a type of meatloaf or cold cut embedded with pimiento-stuffed green olives,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-06-17/entertainment/0906150176_1_supermarkets-and-delis-jell-o-jell|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715061004/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-06-17/entertainment/0906150176_1_supermarkets-and-delis-jell-o-jell|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2010|title=Searching for answers to food mysteries|work= Chicago Tribune|date=17 June 2009 | access-date=1 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SJhrqEuJoRIC&dq=%22olive+loaf%22&pg=PA276|title=Processed Meats|access-date=1 March 2015|isbn=9780834213043|last1=Pearson|first1=A. M.|last2=Gillett|first2=T. A.|date=1996-09-30|publisher=Springer }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title= Olive Loaf| url= http://www.meatinstitute.org/sites/hot-dog.org/ht/d/sp/i/38586/pid/38586| via= meatinstitute.org| work= Glossary of Sausages and Prepared Meats| publisher= National Hot Dog & Sausage Council| access-date= November 5, 2020| archive-date= September 1, 2020| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200901181157/http://www.meatinstitute.org/sites/hot-dog.org/ht/d/sp/i/38586/pid/38586| url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-10-09-8603160267-story.html |title= Processing Plant in the Kitchen Can Turn out Fresh Sandwich Meat| first= Merle| last= Ellis| date= October 9, 1986| work= Chicago Tribune| access-date= November 5, 2020}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite news| work= The Hartford Courant |url= https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1997-05-22-9705210022-story.html| title= Uncovering the Secrets of Olive Loaf | first= Bill | last= Daley | date= May 22, 1997 | access-date= November 5, 2020}}</ref> similar to the Italian sausage meat mortadella.
The deli meat—typically a mixture of beef and pork, though chicken has also been used by meat producers such as Oscar Mayer—is prepared by incorporating green olives and spices such as mace, coriander, and pepper for flavor. Black olives are rarely used in place of green olives. Some recipes thicken the meat mixture with additives such as milk powder and soy flour to prevent the olives from sinking.<ref name=":0" /> It is often sold pre-sliced in standardized loaf form for retail packaging or deli counters.<ref>{{cite news|title=Whatever happened to olive loaf?|work=Chicago Tribune|first=Kevin|last=Pang|date=October 4, 2025|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/food/whatever-happened-olive-loaf|access-date=April 17, 2026}}</ref>
==See also== * {{portal-inline|Food}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olive Loaf}} Category:Lunch meat Category:Breads Category:Olive dishes
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