Table of Contents
Turkish olive is one of the most famous and best olives on the market, in this guide we will cover everything you need to know about olives in Turkey
Turkish cuisine depends mainly on olives and their products, whether in the distinctive Turkish breakfast or in cooking the most delicious Turkish cuisine, and there are areas famous for the cultivation of olive oil in Turkey
Olives in Turkey
Turkey is the second largest producer of olive trees in the world, and it is one of the first five countries in the production of olive oil globally.
There are about 700 different species of olives in Turkey, and Turkish olives are characterized by their high percentage of oil content.
There are many companies that work on filling and exporting oil to all parts of Turkey and the world, Turkish cuisine mainly depends on it for breakfast, as well as the oil squeezed from it is used in cooking,
And in the production of the best varieties of Turkish soap, which are distinguished by their exceptional quality. The southeastern parts of Gaziantep are well-known for producing olive oil soap in Turkey.
Olive oil wrestling (Yağlı güreş) is an ancient sport that has roots for more than 600 years. The Ottoman soldiers were famous for practicing combat training;
Where the wrestlers wear leather pants and grease their bodies with olive oil and fight their opponents.
And this sport still exists until now and is practiced in the same rituals.
Olive oil is also used to get rid of insects such as mosquitoes and to keep the body cool.
Olive trees in Turkey
There are perennial olive trees in Turkey with a lifespan of more than 150 years and are located in the town of Kirka Abash,
In Mersin, there is an olive tree that is 1656 years old, and it is the third oldest olive tree in the world.
And it is still fruitful to this day, which is why it was converted into a memorial in 2013 for its historical value.
The price of olive oil obtained from perennial trees is very high. There is a tree in Turkey that is 180 years old in the city of Teos in Izmir.
The price of half a liter of olive oil produced from this ancient tree reached about 6 thousand dollars.
There are about 180 million trees in Turkey, and olive production reaches one million and 200 thousand tons, and Turkey seeks to be the first in the world.
The most important importing countries for Turkish olive oil
Turkey exports olive oil to more than 85 countries around the world, and Turkey’s olive oil exports are estimated at about 18,500 tons,
The United States of America is one of the largest importers of Turkish olive oil.
Then comes Germany, then Iraq, Romania, the United Arab Emirates. It is strange that Spain is also among the countries importing Turkish olive oil, despite being one of the most important olive oil producing countries in the world.
The most famous Turkish olive growing areas
Aegean region
The Aegean region is one of the most famous regions for olive production and cultivation in Turkey.
It has fertile soil and a suitable climate for olive cultivation.
Among the most famous areas of the Aegean sea for olive cultivation, is Ayvalik:
It is a coastal city, one of the most famous olive-growing areas in Turkey, located on the coast of the Aegean Sea and overlooking the Marmara region in northwestern Turkey.
In the Ayvalik region alone, there are one million and 750 thousand trees out of the 180 million olive trees planted in Turkey.
In the city of Ayvalik, a traditional method is used to collect olives from trees, where they are left to ripen slowly.
Then they employ workers to pick the olives with their own hands instead of using modern machines to preserve the olive trees and produce them in the future.
The city produces different types of olives that are exported to all countries of the world.
Hatay Province
There is agricultural land in Hatay province, with an area of 276.240 hectares, out of the total land area of the state, which has an area of 540,300 hectares.
An area of 18% of this area is designated for the cultivation of olive trees in large quantities in Hatay.
In Hatay, there are also nearly 55 olive oil presses that work on pressing the oil, and 41,000 tons of olive oil are produced through them. It is expected that the production of olives and olive oil will increase by 50% in the coming years,
Where the Turkish government works to support and establish mills with a sequential system, which is suitable for modern technology, within the framework of increasing production in the region of olive oil because it has distinctive characteristics in taste and aroma that are required inside and outside Turkey.
