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.

27 August 2026 Zeytin.NET editorial desk Olive 2 min read 65 views

Çelebi is an olive variety grown around İznik in Bursa. It is used mostly as a green table olive, and its oil content is lower than Gemlik's.

Çelebi in numbers

Properties of the Çelebi variety
Property	Value	Note
Main use	green table olive
Oil content	lower than Gemlik	Gemlik 29–30%
Region	Bursa · İznik	Marmara

Why low oil content isn't a problem

For a table variety, low oil content is not a disadvantage — it can even be the opposite.

The Çelebi olive: the green table cultivar of İznik

What a table olive is judged on is flesh ratio, fruit size and how cleanly the flesh leaves the stone, not oil content. A fruit high in oil can soften faster in brine. This is why varieties separate by purpose:

Oil varieties — oil content decides: Memecik 25–28%, Ayvalık 23–26%
Table varieties — size and flesh ratio decide: Domat 89% flesh, Gemlik 6.4 flesh-to-stone

Çelebi belongs to the second group. The same logic in detail: olive varieties.

İznik and Gemlik: the same registered area

İznik, where Çelebi grows, is also part of the geographical indication area registered for Gemlik olives — the registration covers Gemlik, Orhangazi and İznik.

So two varieties grow in the same district: one is the country's best-known black table olive, the other a local variety that goes to green table use.

Note on sources

Where a measurement has not been published for this variety, the figure is left blank rather than estimated. Turkey's full variety distribution and comparative tables: olive varieties.

Where it stands among measured varieties

Flesh ratio 87% 46 measured · rank 11.

Zoncuk avg 83,8% Mavi

Fruit length 34 mm 37 measured · rank 2.

Arbequina avg 23,6 mm Karamursel Su

Fruit width 22 mm 37 measured · rank 1.

Arbequina avg 17,4 mm Celebi

Fruits per kilogram 140 28 measured · rank 27.

Karamursel Su avg 290,4 Kilis Yaglik

Values are those published on each variety's own page; the comparison covers only varieties with a measured figure, so it is a comparison of what is known — not of every Turkish variety. See the full ranking and how it is built →

Share WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram https://zeytin.net/en/celebi-olive

Rate this article ★★☆☆☆ 2.0 1 rating

One rating per visitor; you can change yours at any time. Ratings are real reader votes — no seeded or default scores.