Gemlik olive facts for kids

The Gemlik olive, also known as the Tirilye olive, is a special kind of olive that comes from the Gemlik and Zeytinbağı areas in northern Turkey. People sometimes call them by other names like Curly or Black olives. These olives are usually small to medium-sized and have a dark, black color. They are also known for having a lot of oil inside them. Gemlik olives are very popular in Turkey. They are often eaten for breakfast after being prepared in different ways, like Yagli Sele or Duble. A good sign of a traditional Gemlik olive is how easily the fruit comes off its seed.

How Gemlik Olives Are Grown

Gemlik olives are known for producing a lot of oil. About 29.9% of their weight can be turned into oil. Many factories in Gemlik process these olives and send them to countries in Western Europe.

Perfect Growing Conditions

For an olive to be a true Gemlik olive, it should be grown and prepared in the Gemlik area. The climate near the Marmara Sea is just right for olives. It has hot summers and cold winters, which olive trees love.

Hand-Picked Harvest

All Gemlik olives are picked by hand. This happens between November and February, depending on when the olives are ready. A single Gemlik olive tree can produce up to 40 kilograms of olives in a good year!

A Long History of Growing Olives

Small family growers in the Gemlik area have been growing, picking, and preparing these olives for hundreds of years. Villages like Karacaali, Umurbey, and Kumla are famous for making high-quality, traditionally prepared Gemlik olives.

Where Gemlik Olives Are Found

The Gemlik or Tirilye olive is the most common type of olive in its region. About 75% to 80% of all olive groves in the Marmara Sea area grow this specific kind of olive. You'll find them in places like Gemlik, Erdek, Mudanya, Edincik, and Tirilye. Other types of olives are also grown there, but Gemlik is the most widespread.

How Gemlik Olives Are Prepared

Because Gemlik olives have a lot of oil, they can be prepared in many different ways. This process is called "curing." Here are some common methods:

Yagli Sele

This method means "oil-cured." The olives are gently rotated in drums with a little bit of salt. This makes the olives release their own oil. After this, they are stored dry. It takes a lot of work to keep them this way because the containers need to be turned often. These olives taste rich and not very salty.

Duble

This is a "brine-cured" olive. The traditional way to cure them is to put the olives into vats about 2-metre-deep (6.6 ft) with weights on top. Saltwater, called brine, flows through the vats. The weights help make the olives soft. Then, they are stored in brine. Some larger companies use pressure vats, but this doesn't make the olives as nice and firm. These olives are firm and salty.

Salamura

This method is a mix of oil-curing and brine-curing. The olives are partly oil-cured first, and then they are stored in brine.

Kuru Sele

This means "dry-cured in a basket." The olives are dried in a basket filled with rock salt. The salt pulls all the water out of the olive. The longer the olive stays in the salt, the firmer it becomes. An olive can lose up to half its weight during this process, which makes it look wrinkly. These olives are stored dry and are the least salty. A dry-cured Gemlik olive is considered a very special olive and costs more. They are often ordered before they are even picked and are usually saved for fancy restaurants in Istanbul.

Cross Kuru Sele/Yagli Sele

This is a special method used mostly by growers for themselves. The olives are partly dry-cured first. Then, they go through the Yagli Sele process. This makes a wrinkly olive that tastes a little bit bitter. These olives are also stored dry.