Erdek Kapıdağ Olive Oil: an oil whose grade changes in dry years

Registration documents describe a product at its best. The certificate for Erdek Kapıdağ Olive Oil also records an exception: in dry years the oil can change grade.

The record

An honest provision

t; Depending on climatic conditions it generally falls in the extra virgin class, but particularly in dry periods it falls into the virgin olive oil category.

This is a rare admission in a registration. Extra virgin means acidity ≤0.8%, virgin ≤2.0%. Drought creates water stress in the fruit and acidity rises. Rather than concealing this, the certificate writes it into the definition.

A blend of three cultivars

The oil is obtained as a blend of Erdek Yağlık, Gemlik and Erdek Su. It is one of the registrations not resting on a single cultivar — the blend reflects how the local groves are actually planted.

At room temperature it is clear and flowing, its colour running from green to yellow. Fruitiness varies from medium to high, with bitterness and pungency present.

Aroma compounds

Recording which perception each compound produces is a level of detail rarely seen in aroma tables.

Why here

Erdek lies in a temperate belt; the certificate says this acts as a natural air conditioner, and that the loamy soils contribute. Edincik Olive and Edincik Su Olive Oil are registered around the same gulf.

Source: Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, Geographical Indication Registration Certificate No 1733 — Erdek Kapıdağ Zeytinyağı.