GEMLIK
Country: Turkey
Purpose: Dual-purpose (table and oil)
Synonyms: “Kaplik”, “Kara”, “Kiviricik”, “Trilye”
Distribution: 1 continent
Asia
In Asia, Gemlik is a cultivar native to northwestern Türkiye, strongly associated with the Sea of Marmara basin and the Bursa area (the Gemlik district), where it is a clear territorial reference.
Sector sources describe it as one of the most widely cultivated varieties in the country: its presence extends across the main Turkish olive-growing regions, with a particularly strong role in the tradition of natural black table olives.
Within the TGoP framework, Gemlik can be read as a “rooted” variety: an identity shaped by continuity with landscapes, local practices, and territorial value chains, rather than by documented intercontinental migration.
Agronomic and commercial considerations: The town of Gemlik is located on the Marmara coast in the north-west of the country, in the region of the same name that extends to Bursa. This region is known for being the origin of the most famous and most consumed variety in the country, the ‘Gemlik’, variety, with its very particular “sweetness” characteristic, since once it ripens it loses its natural bitterness. Its excellent pulp texture together with its very thin skin, make it the most popular variety for Gemlik style natural black olives. It has a high rhizogenic capacity, and is considered a partially self-compatible cultivar; excellent pollinators are “Ayvalik”, “Çakir” and “Erkence” varieties. It has an early entry into production and a high and constant productivity. Ripening, either green or black is very early. It is considered a variety of dual aptitude since, in addition to the above-mentioned characteristics as a table olive, it has a high oil content (29%). It is It has a high rhizogenic capacity.