Have you heard of Gemlik olives?
Gemlik, a town in Turkey, is famous for its black olives with a high oil content. This type of olive is hugely popular in Turkey, sold right across the country and exported to 42 countries. Traditionally cured Gemlik olives have a distinctive flavour, and the flesh comes away easily from the stone. The olives are unique to the region and grow nowhere else in the world.
Curious about how Gemlik olives are produced?
A true Gemlik olive should be grown and cured in the Gemlik region. The climate around the Sea of Marmara, with hot summers and cold winters, is considered ideal. Gemlik olives are hand-picked between November and February, and a single Gemlik olive tree can produce up to 40 kg of olives! They have been grown and cured here for centuries, and some villages have a long history of producing high-quality, traditionally cured Gemlik olives.
Curing methods
Yagli Sele: Oil-cured. The olives are rotated in drums with a little salt, which works the oil and makes the olives release oil. They are then stored dry. This method takes a lot of upkeep, as the containers must be turned regularly. The result is a rich, lightly salted olive.
Duble: Purely brine-cured. Traditionally, the olives are placed in two-metre-deep vats with weights on top and rotated in brine. The weights tenderise the olives. The commercial method uses a pressure tank, but this doesn't give quite such a fine texture. The result is a firm, salty olive.
Salamura: A partly oil-cured olive that is then stored in brine.
Kuru Sele: These olives are dried in a basket with rock salt, which draws all the water out of them. The longer they stay in the salt, the firmer they become. An olive can lose up to half its original weight during curing, which gives it a wrinkled look. Dry-cured Gemlik olives are top quality and carry a high price tag. They are mostly ordered before picking and reserved for upmarket establishments in Istanbul.
Cross Kuru Sele/Yagli Sele: Partly dry-cured olives that then go through the Yagli Sele process become crisp and slightly bitter. They are also stored dry and are cured only for the growers' own use.
You can find Gemlik olives at Etnomat by following the link here. These beautiful jet-black olives have a very particular flavour, and the stones come away easily from the flesh. A must on the table with starters and meze.
