Marmarabirlik Olives: A Gemlik Olive Guide

If there is one olive that defines the Turkish breakfast table, it is the small, dark, intensely flavoured Gemlik olive, and if there is one name behind it, it is Marmarabirlik. Founded in 1954 as a cooperative of olive growers around the Gemlik gulf on the southern Marmara coast, Marmarabirlik today unites thousands of farmer members and is Turkey's best-known table olive brand. Everything the cooperative does centres on one variety: the Gemlik olive, a thin-skinned, high-oil black olive that cures into something wrinkled, meaty and deeply savoury, quite unlike the bouncy brined olives most UK supermarkets sell.

Why Gemlik Olives Are Different

Gemlik olives are harvested fully ripe and black, then cured slowly in brine or dry salt rather than being treated with lye. This natural cure, often labelled naturel, takes months and lets the fruit ferment gently, developing a winey, slightly bitter depth and a soft, almost buttery flesh that separates cleanly from the stone. The style closest to tradition is the dried, or dry-cured, olive: salt-cured until the skin wrinkles and the flavour concentrates. A handful of these with a slice of white cheese, some tomato and warm bread is the classic Turkish kahvalti in miniature.

Decoding the Size Codes: 3XS to Mega XL

The letters on a Marmarabirlik pack are simply calibre grades, the number of olives per kilogram. 3XS and XS are the smallest berries, favoured in dry-cured styles where flavour concentration matters more than bite; the 800g and 400g packs of 3XS dried natural black olives are perfect examples. M and L sit in the middle and are the everyday breakfast workhorses, like the popular 800g M Gemlik Super and the L Hiper series. At the top end come XL and the Gold and Mega ranges: the 800g Gold XL and Mega XL Gemlik packs contain the largest, plumpest fruit, ideal when olives are the star of a mezze spread rather than a supporting act.

Salt Levels and the Less Salty Range

Traditional Gemlik olives are unapologetically salty, which is authentic but not for everyone. Marmarabirlik's less salty, or az tuzlu, line answers this: the same natural cure with a reduced-salt finish, available in L calibre 800g vacuum packs. They are a sensible choice for anyone watching sodium, for children, or simply if you prefer to taste more olive and less brine. If you buy the classic salty style and find it intense, a quick rinse and a dress of olive oil, dried oregano and chilli flakes softens it beautifully.

Beyond Black: Green Olives and Olive Paste

Although black Gemlik olives are the flagship, the cooperative's green range deserves a place on the table too. Cracked green olives, kirma in Turkish, are lightly crushed before brining so the marinade penetrates, giving a fresh, herbaceous bite that suits citrusy dressings. The huge 4XL cocktail green olives are firm and mild, made for snacking and mezze platters. And do not overlook the 340g jar of black olive paste: pure Gemlik olives ground to a spread, brilliant on toast with olive oil, whisked into salad dressings, or as an instant tapenade for pasta.

How to Serve and Store Them in the UK

Vacuum-packed olives keep for months unopened in a cool cupboard; once opened, transfer them to a jar, cover with a film of olive oil and refrigerate, where they will happily last two to three weeks. Serve them at room temperature, never fridge-cold, so the oils release their aroma. At Turkish Online Market we ship the full Marmarabirlik range across the UK, so whether you are building a proper Turkish breakfast or just upgrading your snack game, the real taste of Gemlik is only a delivery away.