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Olive articles: varieties, harvest, curing and table products

What kind of plant is the olive tree, which olive varieties are grown, and what is made from the fruit? Table olive varieties from Gemlik to Memecik, and the products of the olive.

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The olive is one of the oldest cultivated plants of the Mediterranean basin. An olive tree can live for centuries and bear fruit on dry, stony ground, which is why it stands for the continuity of farming in this geography.

This section covers the botany of the olive tree, the principal olive varieties grown in Turkey — Gemlik, Ayvalık, Memecik, Domat, Nizip Yağlık — and the products made from the fruit. From how table olives are cured to olive leaf and pomace, you will find what each part of the tree is good for.

The Olive: Tree, History, Production and Future Article The Olive: Tree, History, Production and Future The botany, history and uses of the olive tree; current production figures worldwide and in Turkey, provinces, varieties and the sector's future — with tables. The Olive Sector in Turkey: Structure, Exports and Challenges Article The Olive Sector in Turkey: Structure, Exports and Challenges Production, exports, business structure and price: the Turkish olive sector in figures, and where the chain breaks. Geographical Indication Olives and Olive Oils of Turkey Article Geographical Indication Olives and Olive Oils of Turkey Türkiye's registered olive and olive oil geographical indications: which product, which locality, under what conditions — and what registration means. Olive and Olive Oil Glossary Article Olive and Olive Oil Glossary Oleuropein, lampante, pomace, malaxation, designation of origin… Short, verifiable definitions of olive and olive oil terms. Olives and Olive Oil: Frequently Asked Questions Article Olives and Olive Oil: Frequently Asked Questions Does the fridge test work, what separates extra virgin from riviera, can you fry with olive oil? The 18 most common questions, answered briefly. The Olive Calendar: The Olive Year Month by Month Article The Olive Calendar: The Olive Year Month by Month When to prune, when it flowers, which olives are picked when — the year of the tree and the grower, month by month. Olive Oil Soap: How It Is Made, Its Types and How to Choose Article Olive Oil Soap: How It Is Made, Its Types and How to Choose How saponification works, why curing takes months, and how to recognise genuine olive oil soap. Table Olives: Types, Curing and How to Choose Article Table Olives: Types, Curing and How to Choose From green to black, cracked to dry-cured: how table olives are made, chosen and kept. How do you reduce the salt in olives? Article How do you reduce the salt in olives? Draining the brine does not remove the salt — it has worked its way into the flesh. A Spanish study measured that soaking in water cuts sodium by 61-72%, but the same process also carries away up to 78% of the potassium and softens the fruit. The legal salt ceiling for table olives is 8% by weight, and the "low salt" claim requires no more than 4 grams per 100. Which method works how well, and what does each one give up? How long does an olive tree live? Article How long does an olive tree live? There are plenty of "thousand-year-old olive" signs and almost no measurements. Counting annual rings does not work on olive: when ten experts in five laboratories were given the same samples, their ring counts differed by more than 44%. Radiocarbon dating carries its own trap. So does the tree have a real age limit — and what does it mean that Crete's famous monumental olive turns out to consist of two different genotypes? That white film on your olive brine: mould or yeast? Article That white film on your olive brine: mould or yeast? The white layer that forms on home-brined olives is usually not mould but a film-forming yeast — though that does not make it harmless. There are visible criteria for telling them apart. Together with the pH and salt ceilings the Turkish Food Codex sets for brine, here is what can be saved and what has to be thrown out. Which provinces in Turkey grow no olives? Article Which provinces in Turkey grow no olives? Forty-six of Turkey's 81 provinces have no commercial olive production: 36 absent from the statistics, ten reporting zero. Samsun has 13,000 trees and no crop. Do olive trees grow on the Black Sea coast? Article Do olive trees grow on the Black Sea coast? Ten Black Sea provinces produce 865 tonnes between them, 83 per cent of it in Artvin. Trabzon gets 98 tonnes from 36,000 trees; Samsun none from 13,000. The obstacle is humidity, not cold. Where do olives grow in Turkey? The picture in 45 provinces Article Where do olives grow in Turkey? The picture in 45 provinces The Aegean alone produces half the national crop; ten Black Sea provinces together manage 865 tonnes. In 46 provinces there is no commercial production at all. How to store olive spread: homemade, opened jars and freezing Article How to store olive spread: homemade, opened jars and freezing Homemade olive spread is kept in the fridge in a clean glass jar, covered with a thin layer of olive oil, and eaten within about a week. For opened shop-bought jars, the time on the label applies. Spread with garlic or fresh herbs should never be left at room temperature. How to Store Olives: From an Opened Jar to a Winter Batch Article How to Store Olives: From an Opened Jar to a Winter Batch How long does an opened jar last, what to do when the brine runs low, how to keep dry-cured olives? Why mould forms and what the white film actually is. How are black table olives made? Natural ripening versus blackening Article How are black table olives made? Natural ripening versus blackening Two different black olives sit on the shelf: ripened on the tree and brined, or picked green and blackened by oxidation. Both lawful, but not the same product. What are green olives, and how do they differ from black? Article What are green olives, and how do they differ from black? Green olives are not a separate variety but the same fruit picked early. What sets the colour, why pick green, and where the difference from black begins. How are green table olives made? Three methods, three results Article How are green table olives made? Three methods, three results Green olives cannot be eaten off the tree; the bitterness must be removed. The difference between Spanish-style, natural brine and scored methods sets time, texture and taste. How to recognise a good table olive — and what to check when buying Article How to recognise a good table olive — and what to check when buying Is the colour mottled, the brine clear, the calibre stated? Concrete checks for buying table olives, whether Gemlik is an oil or table variety, and how to store them at home. Fraud in table olives: lye, artificial blackening, copper sulphate — how and why Article Fraud in table olives: lye, artificial blackening, copper sulphate — how and why Natural debittering takes 6-12 months. Which of the methods that cut it to days are lawful, and which are fraud? Lye, artificial blackening, copper sulphate — and six ways to spot fake olives. The Çelebi olive family: seven types, two separate geographies Article The Çelebi olive family: seven types, two separate geographies Çelebi is not one variety but a family name. Tesbih Çelebi yields above 22 percent oil while Hamza, Yuvarlak and Yün Çelebi stay under 18. Measured values for seven types. Which olive varieties have the highest oil content? Article Which olive varieties have the highest oil content? Kalem bezi and Kilis yağlık lead at 31 percent, with Gemlik just behind at 29-30. Measured oil content for 40 varieties — and what the figure does and does not tell you. Milas Çekişke Olive: the season's first table olive, picked in September Article Milas Çekişke Olive: the season's first table olive, picked in September Protected as a geographical indication since 2021. The cultivar is Memecik, but the difference is timing: picked in September, green and by hand. The stage at which oil content is still low is exactly right for the table. Gaziantep Green Olive Pastry: a registration that turns a recipe into a rule Article Gaziantep Green Olive Pastry: a registration that turns a recipe into a rule The only prepared dish among olive geographical indications. The document binds the half-moon shape, the 14-15 cm diameter, the filling gram by gram, the sheep breed, and inspection twice a year. The olives used are oil-type, not table. Olea europaea: the botany of the olive tree Article Olea europaea: the botany of the olive tree The olive's scientific name and classification, why its leaves are silver, its floral structure, the layers of its fruit, its root system and lifespan — and how the wild oleaster relates to the orchard olive. Tarsus Sarıulak Olive: the same cultivar behaving differently in one place Article Tarsus Sarıulak Olive: the same cultivar behaving differently in one place The certificate measures Sarıulak in Tarsus and generally, side by side: it flowers a month earlier, ripens a month later, and has larger fruit and more flesh. Milas Ekşili Olive: a table olive lightened with lemon Article Milas Ekşili Olive: a table olive lightened with lemon Registered in 2024. The aroma of lemon and olive oil is pronounced, and the astringency of other table olives is absent. Total phenols at least 135.38 mg/100 g. Hatay Halhalı Olive: what long sunshine hours do to phenol content Article Hatay Halhalı Olive: what long sunshine hours do to phenol content Registered in 2023. The certificate ties the high phenol content (322-525 mg/kg) directly to long sunshine hours, and defines two separate debittering methods. Karamürsel Samanlı Olive: low bitterness earns it the name “sweet olive” Article Karamürsel Samanlı Olive: low bitterness earns it the name “sweet olive” Registered in 2024. Its oleuropein content of 6-8% is low, so it debitters quickly and is locally called the sweet olive. Its skin is 0.2-0.4 mm. Edremit Gulf Green Scored Olive: a registration that defines altitude and slope Article Edremit Gulf Green Scored Olive: a registration that defines altitude and slope Registered in 2014. The certificate draws the boundary topographically as well as administratively: 50-250 m altitude, 5-6% slope. Debittering is entirely natural. Edincik Olive: high water content makes it a table olive Article Edincik Olive: high water content makes it a table olive Registered in 2024. The certificate gives one reason why the cultivar goes to the table: high water content. Its volatiles include 1.5-25% ethyl acetate. Büyükbelen Tekir Olive: a table olive born from grafting two cultivars Article Büyükbelen Tekir Olive: a table olive born from grafting two cultivars Registered in 2024. The Eşek (Ödemiş) cultivar is grafted onto Uslu seedling rootstock. The flesh does not soften after processing, giving a long shelf life. Aydın Yamalak Sarısı Olive: a table fruit reaching 11 grams Article Aydın Yamalak Sarısı Olive: a table fruit reaching 11 grams Registered in 2021. At 6-11 g the fruit is among Turkey's largest table olives. It is propagated by grafting onto wild rootstock and harvested in late September. Antalya Tavşan Yüreği Olive: a registration named after the shape of its fruit Article Antalya Tavşan Yüreği Olive: a registration named after the shape of its fruit Registered in 2018. Fruit and stone are heart-shaped; picked green, its oil runs 9-20.2%, rising to 25% at black maturity. Aydın Memecik Olive: grafted on wild rootstock, a tree that yields for a century Article Aydın Memecik Olive: grafted on wild rootstock, a tree that yields for a century Registered in 2021. The certificate ties the cultivar's key trait to longevity: grafted on wild rootstock, Memecik yields economically for 80-100 years and can then be rejuvenated. Akhisar Uslu Olive: the measured specification of a black table olive Article Akhisar Uslu Olive: the measured specification of a black table olive Registered in 2010 as a designation of origin. The certificate defines the Uslu cultivar in figures — and corrects a published error: the flesh ratio is 85.17%. Akhisar Domat Olive: the specification behind stuffed olives Article Akhisar Domat Olive: the specification behind stuffed olives Registered in 2010. The certificate sets calibre separately for each product form — 170-290 for stuffed, 110-260 for cocktail. One cultivar, different sizes. Milas Oil-Cured Olive: the one table-olive registration with measurements Article Milas Oil-Cured Olive: the one table-olive registration with measurements Five of the six registrations are olive oils. This is the one table olive, and its certificate gives fruit dimensions, flesh-to-stone ratio and flesh firmness in figures. The Gemlik Olive designation of origin: what the certificate says Article The Gemlik Olive designation of origin: what the certificate says Turkey's first registered olive (2005, no 76). The certificate defines four districts, three cultivars, four curing methods and seven size grades — all of them binding. Sat olive Article Sat olive Sat is a recorded variety of the Black Sea. No measured pomological data published. Patos olive Article Patos olive Patos is a recorded variety of the Black Sea. Described in the source. Otur olive Article Otur olive Otur is a recorded variety of the Black Sea. Described in the source. Marantelli olive Article Marantelli olive Marantelli is a recorded variety of the Black Sea. Described in the source. Gölvala olive Article Gölvala olive Gölvala is a recorded variety of the Black Sea. No measured pomological data published. Butko olive Article Butko olive Butko is a recorded variety of the Black Sea. No measured pomological data published. Zoncuk olive Article Zoncuk olive Zoncuk is a recorded variety of south-eastern Anatolia. No measured pomological data published. Melkebazi olive Article Melkebazi olive Melkebazi is a recorded variety of south-eastern Anatolia. No measured pomological data published. Mavi olive Article Mavi olive Mavi is a recorded variety of south-eastern Anatolia. No measured pomological data published. Kan Çelebi olive Article Kan Çelebi olive Kan Çelebi is a recorded variety of south-eastern Anatolia. Described in the source. Hursuki olive Article Hursuki olive Hursuki is a recorded variety of south-eastern Anatolia. No measured pomological data published. Belluti olive Article Belluti olive Belluti is a recorded variety of south-eastern Anatolia. No measured pomological data published. Tavşanyüreği olive Article Tavşanyüreği olive Tavşanyüreği is a recorded variety of the Mediterranean. Described in the source. Büyük Topak Ulak olive Article Büyük Topak Ulak olive Büyük Topak Ulak is a recorded variety of the Mediterranean. Described in the source. İzmir Sofralık olive Article İzmir Sofralık olive İzmir Sofralık is a recorded variety of the Aegean. Described in the source. Which type of olive is better? Article Which type of olive is better? Table or oil, green or black — choosing a variety by purpose, with a short regional map. Which table olive variety is best? Article Which table olive variety is best? The leading varieties for black and green table olives, measured fruit weights, and how curing affects quality. Which is Turkey's best-quality olive? Article Which is Turkey's best-quality olive? Quality criteria and measured values for Turkey's main olive varieties — fruit weight, oil content and intended use. The Çelebi olive: the green table cultivar of İznik Article The Çelebi olive: the green table cultivar of İznik Grown around İznik in Bursa, Çelebi is a green table cultivar. Its oil content is lower than Gemlik's — which is no drawback for a table olive. Yamalak Sarısı: the local table cultivar of Aydın Article Yamalak Sarısı: the local table cultivar of Aydın A local cultivar of Aydın counted among Turkey's most important table olives, and the subject of a phenotypic characterisation study. The Edincik Su olive: the third black-table cultivar Article The Edincik Su olive: the third black-table cultivar One of the three cultivars widely processed as black table olives in Turkey, alongside Gemlik and Uslu. The cultivar of the Bandırma area. The Çakır olive: a cultivar that asks for a thousand hours of cold Article The Çakır olive: a cultivar that asks for a thousand hours of cold Reported alongside Ayvalık and Domat with a 1000-hour chilling requirement — the group most at risk as winters warm. The Çilli olive: large fruit, low chilling requirement Article The Çilli olive: large fruit, low chilling requirement At 6.90 g it ranks among the large-fruited cultivars, and sits in the low chilling-requirement group — second only to Adana Topağı. Adana Topağı: the olive cultivar that needs the least cold Article Adana Topağı: the olive cultivar that needs the least cold The lowest chilling requirement among cultivars tested: 346 hours, 234 chill units. Why that matters as winters warm, and its 6-gram fruit. The Çekişte olive: the Aegean's lesser-known oil cultivar Article The Çekişte olive: the Aegean's lesser-known oil cultivar Çekişte accounts for 1.5% of Turkey's olive trees — more widespread than Domat or Uslu, yet a cultivar whose name is almost never heard. The Halhalı olive: Hatay's oil cultivar Article The Halhalı olive: Hatay's oil cultivar Halhalı accounts for 2.2% of Turkey's olive trees, the main oil cultivar of Hatay and Mardin. The measured self-sterility of Yuvarlak Halhalı and what it means for orchard planning. The Erkence olive: the cultivar that sweetens on the tree Article The Erkence olive: the cultivar that sweetens on the tree Erkence accounts for 3.5% of Turkey's olive trees. It is the Aegean's earliest-ripening cultivar and has a property with few equivalents anywhere: the fruit loses its bitterness on the tree, without brine. Olive wood: why spoons and not beams? Article Olive wood: why spoons and not beams? At 0.86 g/cm³ air-dried it is denser than walnut, yet its modulus of elasticity of 4,444 N/mm² is less than half walnut's. It resists crushing but not bending. Where is quality lost in table olives? Article Where is quality lost in table olives? Variety choice, harvest technique, fermentation control, sterilisation and the pre-packing check are each a separate point of loss. The structural problem is scale and inspection. Rooting olive cuttings: 30 of 133 wild olives made it Article Rooting olive cuttings: 30 of 133 wild olives made it In Hassa, Hatay, 133 wild olive genotypes were rooted from cuttings and only 30 cleared the 50% threshold. Rooting depends on the genotype, not the technique. Mission olive: United States's table and oil variety Article Mission olive: United States's table and oil variety America's historic variety: carried by the Spanish missions, it built California's black table olive industry. Hojiblanca olive: Spain's oil and table variety Article Hojiblanca olive: Spain's oil and table variety Spain's third-largest variety and genuinely dual-purpose: it goes to black table olives and to oil alike. Coratina olive: Italy's oil variety Article Coratina olive: Italy's oil variety Among the highest-polyphenol varieties in the world. Distinctly bitter and pungent — the oil that gives blends their backbone. Leccino olive: Italy's oil variety Article Leccino olive: Italy's oil variety Frantoio's blending partner. A softer profile with notable cold and disease tolerance. Frantoio olive: Italy's oil variety Article Frantoio olive: Italy's oil variety The emblem of Tuscan olive oil. A balanced, aromatic, moderately bitter oil, and the most widely exported Italian variety. Manzanilla olive: Spain's table variety Article Manzanilla olive: Spain's table variety The world's most widely planted green table variety and the international standard for stuffed olives. It is grown in Türkiye too. Kalamata olive: Greece's table variety Article Kalamata olive: Greece's table variety The world's best-known table olive. Almond-shaped, purplish-black fruit, and a name that is a protected designation of origin. Koroneiki olive: Greece's oil variety Article Koroneiki olive: Greece's oil variety The backbone of Greek olive oil. Very small fruit, very high polyphenol content, and one of the three super-high-density varieties. Arbequina olive: Spain's oil variety Article Arbequina olive: Spain's oil variety The mainstay of super-high-density planting. Small canopy, small fruit, early bearing — the variety that changed modern olive growing. Picual olive: Spain's oil variety Article Picual olive: Spain's oil variety The single largest share of world olive oil production. High oleic acid and polyphenols, a pungent and stable oil. Eğriburun olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Eğriburun olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas The lowest oil content on the list (17%) but the highest flesh ratio (89%) — a pure table variety. Karamürsel Su olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Karamürsel Su olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas The largest fruit on the list: only 140 per kilo. Marmara's own distinctive table variety. Sarı Ulak olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Sarı Ulak olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas The eastern Mediterranean's table variety. The lowest flesh ratio on the list (72%) — a large stone, yet it holds its ground. Kiraz olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Kiraz olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Akhisar's early table variety. Low in oil, but early maturity makes it the season's first olive to market. Memeli olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Memeli olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas The highest flesh ratio on the list at 89%. Low in oil, but with one of the smallest stones. Yağ Çelebi olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Yağ Çelebi olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Despite the name, its 21% oil puts it low on the list; its large fruit also serves the table. Samanlı olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Samanlı olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas The local table variety around Lake İznik — Gemlik's neighbour, with a different fruit structure. Sarı Haşebi olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Sarı Haşebi olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Hatay's local table variety, virtually unknown outside the region and part of Kuseyr Plateau olive growing. Nizip Yağlık olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Nizip Yağlık olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas The southeast's main oil variety and one of the rare self-fertile cultivars on the list — it crops even without a pollinator. Saurani olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Saurani olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Hatay's dual-purpose variety: 29% oil with 87% flesh — one of the most balanced combinations on the list. Kalem Bezi olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Kalem Bezi olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Tied with Kilis Yağlık for the highest oil content on the list (31%), but with a better flesh ratio. Kilis Yağlık olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Kilis Yağlık olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas One of Türkiye's highest oil-yielding varieties at 31%. Small-fruited and purely for oil — 560 fruits per kilo. Uslu olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Article Uslu olive: characteristics, oil content and growing areas Akhisar's black table variety. Overshadowed by Gemlik, yet holding its own market. The Domat olive: the cultivar behind stuffed olives, in numbers Article The Domat olive: the cultivar behind stuffed olives, in numbers Domat, Turkey's largest table cultivar: 7.96 g fruit, 89% flesh, a 552-hour chilling requirement. Why stuffed olives are always made from it, the disagreement over oil content, and why it is never planted alone. World olive varieties: from Picual to Kalamata Article World olive varieties: from Picual to Kalamata About 1,200 cultivars exist; commercial weight sits in a few dozen. Picual, Arbequina, Koroneiki, Kalamata, Frantoio — compared with Türkiye. Chilling requirement in olives: which variety grows where? Article Chilling requirement in olives: which variety grows where? The olive must spend time below 7.2°C in winter. Adana Topağı needs 346 hours, Domat 552. Unmet, some years bring no crop. The Ayvalık (Edremit) olive: one variety, two names Article The Ayvalık (Edremit) olive: one variety, two names 19-20.66% of the tree stock, second after Memecik. 25% oil. Green maturity only between 15 and 30 October; black maturity after 15 November, among the latest. The Memecik olive: Türkiye's oil variety Article The Memecik olive: Türkiye's oil variety Between 19% and 45% of the tree stock. 24-25% oil, 88% flesh. Green maturity in early October, two months after Gemlik. Olive growing in Marmara: the home of the table olive Article Olive growing in Marmara: the home of the table olive The table olive's home is not the Aegean but Marmara: 80% of the region's crop is Gemlik. The reason is climate. The Gemlik olive: small fruit, six times the flesh Article The Gemlik olive: small fruit, six times the flesh Turkey s only olive cultivar with a geographical indication: 3.7 g fruit, a 6.4 flesh-to-pit ratio, 29-30% oil. Self-fertility measurements, chilling requirement, and why it is still picked by hand. Are my olives spoiled? Mould, bulging lids and softening Article Are my olives spoiled? Mould, bulging lids and softening A white film on brine is not always mould. But a bulging lid is not debatable: discard it unopened. How kahm yeast differs from mould. Where do olives grow in Türkiye, and where don't they? Article Where do olives grow in Türkiye, and where don't they? What limits the olive is frost, not a provincial border. Where it grows in Türkiye, with cold thresholds and altitude limits. Table Olive Varieties Article Table Olive Varieties From Gemlik to Kalamata, Manzanilla to Castelvetrano: the world's best-known table olives and what each is good for. The Difference Between Black and Green Olives Article The Difference Between Black and Green Olives Not two different trees but the same fruit at two different moments. So why do they differ in taste, texture and nutrition? The Olive Harvest: When and How Article The Olive Harvest: When and How Early harvest or late? The timing of picking directly determines the oil's acidity, polyphenols and yield. How Are Olives Cured? Article How Are Olives Cured? An olive straight from the tree is inedible — it is bitter. In water, in salt, in lye or scored: the methods that remove the bitterness, and how long each takes. Olive varieties: seventeen Turkish varieties in numbers Article Olive varieties: seventeen Turkish varieties in numbers Gemlik, Ayvalık, Memecik, Domat and the rest: Türkiye's olive varieties with oil content, fruit size, flesh ratio, region and ripening calendar. Products from Olive Article Products from Olive Table olives, oil, pomace, leaf and soap: what is made from each part of the tree, and what each is good for. The Olive Tree Article The Olive Tree Olea europaea: botany, lifespan, root and leaf structure, monumental trees. The identity of the Mediterranean's emblematic tree and how it lives.

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