Erkence
On certain trees of İzmir’s western peninsula, Erkence fruit loses its bitterness while still hanging on the branch and becomes edible with no brine, no lye and no curing at all. The olives are called hurma, and why it happens is still not settled.
In the grove
Erkence — from erken, "early" — is grown on İzmir’s western peninsula around Karaburun, Urla and Seferihisar. It is early ripening, as the name says, and dual-purpose: pressed for oil and eaten green, pink-scratched, black, or as hurma. It is highly resistant to Verticillium wilt, which is a real advantage in Turkish groves, and is used as a pollinator for Ayvalık and Gemlik. Its measured phenol content, at 87 mg CAE/kg, is very low.
The hurma effect is dramatic and documented: oleuropein, the bitter secoiridoid, measures under 2,000 mg/kg in hurma fruit against up to 35,000 mg/kg in ordinary Erkence from the same area. The cause is not settled. One peer-reviewed study concludes enzymatic oxidation of oleuropein could be responsible; the fungus Phoma oleae has long been implicated, and a microbiological survey did recover it — while stating plainly that the exact reason is unknown. Anyone writing that a fungus causes it is going further than the evidence does. It is also site-specific: particular trees, particular aspects, and the same variety planted elsewhere does not reliably produce hurma.
Compared with the other reference cultivars
| Cultivar | Origin | Typical polyphenols | Sensory profile | Best pairing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erkence | İzmir, Türkiye | ~87 mg/kg | Gentle; documented descriptors are leaf, apple and tomato | Hurma olives eaten as they are; the oil suits mild dishes |
| Picual | Jaén, Spain | 300–700 mg/kg | Intensely green, clean bitterness, late-building pungency | Tomato salad, grilled vegetables, bread and salt |
| Coratina | Puglia, Italy | 330–410 mg/kg | Powerfully green and herbaceous, strong bitterness and pungency | Bean soups, grilled meat, bitter greens |
| Koroneiki | Messinia, Greece | Around the Greek mean; Cretan surveys 138–441 mg/kg | Green and aromatic, balanced bitterness and pungency | Greek salad, feta, grilled fish, horta |
| Arbequina | Lleida, Spain | 200–230 mg/kg | Soft, sweet entry, barely bitter, light pungency | Fish, salads, baking, mayonnaise |
| Ayvalık | Balıkesir, Türkiye | Reported 46–235 mg/kg; no stable typical value | Green and aromatic, moderate bitterness, gentle pungency | Mezze, white cheese, raw vegetables, fish |
| Memecik | Muğla, Türkiye | 296–407 mg/kg | The most bitter and pungent of the Turkish cultivars measured | Bean dishes, lamb, grilled meat, strong greens |
| Gemlik | Bursa, Türkiye | 244–491 mg/kg | Mild and approachable, delicate bitterness, low pungency | Breakfast table, soft cheese, eggs, salads |
Polyphenol figures are the ranges published for each variety, not measurements of any bottle in the library. A single oil's figure depends on when it was picked and how it was milled, and is shown on that oil's own page where the producer states one.