Frequently asked questions
The questions people ask most about olives and olive oil. Each answer is short — follow the link for the full page.
analiz
What is alternate bearing in olives?
It is the tree cropping heavily one year and lightly the next. In Turkey it makes olive oil output swing between 40,000 and 200,000 tonnes.
Why is olive yield low in Turkey?
In traditional groves the yield is 10-15 kg per tree. The main causes are the high share of old trees (60%), lack of pruning and irrigation, and harvesting still done by hand.
What is olive mill waste water and why is it a problem?
It is the dark, acidic, organically loaded liquid produced when olives are milled. Processing 1.5-2 million tonnes of fruit yields about 1 million tonnes of it, and untreated it damages soil and water.
Where does Turkey rank in olives?
It is among the world's leading producers by tree count; from 87 million trees in 1995 to 157 million by 2012. Yet oil output averages 150,000 tonnes — only 5% of world production.
Health and nutrition
Which olive is healthiest?
The difference comes from the curing method and salt content rather than the variety. Natural brining preserves polyphenols better than lye-accelerated curing.
How many olives should you eat a day?
The common advice is a small handful at most; the exact number depends on the person and total salt intake. Olives are a fatty fruit, so portions stay small.
What conditions is olive oil good for?
Saying it "treats" something requires looking at the evidence level: EFSA has authorised only the protection of blood lipids. The cardiovascular evidence is strong but has a contested history; claims about rheumatism and cancer are not supported.
Does olive oil make you gain weight?
A tablespoon carries about 120 calories. Being beneficial does not mean unlimited use; total calorie balance is what counts.
How many calories are in olives?
Olives are a fatty fruit; the calorie count varies with size and oil content. The portion is a few olives, not a handful.
How do you reduce the salt in olives?
Soaking and rinsing before eating noticeably reduces surface salt. Comparing the sodium figure on the label also helps.
Olives
Which is Turkey's best-quality olive?
There is no single answer: quality is measured against the job the olive is for. Gemlik leads in black table olives, Domat in green, Ayvalık and Memecik in oil.
Which table olive variety is best?
Gemlik is the benchmark for black table olives, with a high flesh ratio and thin skin. For green and stuffed olives Domat is preferred, at 7.96 g per fruit.
Which type of olive is better?
It depends on the purpose. Table varieties are judged on fruit size and flesh ratio, oil varieties on oil content above 25%; Memecik serves both.
How are olives eaten?
At breakfast they are usually eaten whole, with olive oil and oregano. Pitted olives go into salads, pasta and pizza.
Green olives or black olives?
They are usually the same fruit at different ripeness. Green has more polyphenols and bitterness; black has more oil and a milder taste.
How are olives brined?
The bitterness is drawn out with water and salt over time; the natural method takes weeks but preserves texture and aroma. The lye method is fast but costs flavour and polyphenols.
What are the olive varieties?
Turkey has over ninety registered varieties and around twenty of commercial weight. Memecik at 45%, Ayvalık at 19% and Gemlik at 11% make up three quarters of the tree stock.
Are olives eaten by hand or with a fork?
At the breakfast table either is fine. The stone is taken from the mouth with a hand or fork and left at the edge of the plate.
Are black olives dyed?
Some are naturally ripened; others are green olives blackened by oxidation. The latter does not carry the composition of naturally black olives.
Why is Gemlik olive so well known?
At 3.7 g it is not a large fruit, but the flesh ratio is high and the skin thin; 29-30% oil gives the flesh a rich texture. It is the benchmark for black table olives.
Which olive is most grown in Turkey?
By tree count Memecik leads by far at 45%, followed by Ayvalık at 19% and Gemlik at 11%. Three varieties make up three quarters of the country.
How many years before an olive tree bears fruit?
A sapling starts bearing a few years after planting, and takes longer to reach full yield. Variety, irrigation and care set the pace.
Which region grows the most olives?
The Aegean leads by far at 53%; Mediterranean 23%, Marmara 18%, Southeast 6%, Black Sea 0.2%. Production spans 41 provinces but over half sits in one region — a concentration of risk.
What is a wild olive and is it useful?
It is an ungrafted wild olive tree. Turkey holds some 80 million of them, largely unused; grafting them into production is faster and cheaper than establishing new groves.
Olive oil
Which olive oil is the best quality?
Three measurable things decide it, not the brand: the grade (extra virgin), acidity (below 0.8%) and the harvest year. Most good extra virgin oils sit between 0.2% and 0.5%.
What does acidity mean in olive oil?
It doesn't describe sourness but the oil's chemical state: the free fatty acid level. Low acidity means the fruit was picked intact and pressed quickly.
What is the difference between extra virgin, virgin and pomace oil?
Extra virgin is produced by mechanical means only, with at most 0.8% acidity. Riviera is a blend of refined oil and virgin oil.
How can you tell good olive oil?
Look for fresh grass and green fruit on the nose, and mild bitterness with a peppery finish — signs of polyphenols. The fridge freezing test is not reliable.
Is olive oil suitable for frying?
Yes; the smoke point of extra virgin olive oil is above normal home frying temperatures. What matters is not reusing the oil repeatedly.
How should olive oil be stored?
It has three enemies: light, heat and air. Keep it in dark glass or tin, away from the stove, tightly closed.
What happens if you have a spoon of olive oil daily?
The effect EFSA has authorised comes from about 20 g a day (roughly two spoons) of polyphenol-rich extra virgin oil: protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress. Most other claims are still under research.
Is drinking olive oil on an empty stomach good for you?
There is no reliable evidence that taking it on an empty stomach adds any benefit. The known effects relate to total daily intake, not the timing.
Can olive oil be used for frying?
Yes; the smoke point of extra virgin olive oil is above normal home frying temperatures. The real problem is reusing the same oil repeatedly.
If olive oil freezes in the fridge, is it pure?
No, that test is not reliable. Freezing behaviour depends on fatty acid composition and temperature; it is not a purity indicator.
Why is olive oil bitter?
Bitterness and a peppery finish signal polyphenols — not a fault, but a sign of fresh, early-harvest oil. Extreme bitterness can point to a processing problem.
How long does olive oil keep?
Kept away from light, heat and air it is at its best in the months following harvest. An opened bottle is best finished within a few months.
What is olive pomace?
It is the solid fraction left after extraction: skin, flesh and stone. Not a waste but a usable by-product — fuel, pomace oil, compost and feed additive.
How can adulterated olive oil be spotted?
Blends with cotton, canola and safflower oil are on the market. Certain identification needs a laboratory; for the consumer the grade, acidity and harvest year on the label are the most reliable guides.