Marmarabirlik Less Salted Black Olives (Az Tuzlu Doğal Salamura Siyah Zeytin) are black table olives kept in a lightly salted brine and packed in a tin with an 800 g drained weight. This is the S size, which means roughly 291 to 320 olives per kilogram, so the fruit is medium-sized and good for everyday use. The ingredient list is short: olives, water, salt, lactic acid and calcium chloride, with no allergens declared. The tin carries the producer's badge for a naturally fermented, pasteurised black olive.
Black olives like these are a fixture of the Turkish breakfast spread, served with white cheese, tomatoes, cucumber and warm bread. They also suit salads, mezze plates, pide and pizza toppings, and savoury pastries such as poğaça. For a simple appetiser, drain the olives and dress them with olive oil, dried thyme, a squeeze of lemon and a few chilli flakes. If you prefer an even milder taste, a quick rinse under cold water before serving helps.
Store the unopened tin in a cool, dry place. Once opened, move the olives with their brine into a clean, lidded container and keep them in the fridge, with the olives covered by the brine. The olives are whole and contain stones.