Erkence
also called Hurma zeytin (the debittered fruit, not a separate variety), furma in KaraburunOn 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.
Oleuropein under 2,000 mg/kg, against up to 35,000 in ordinary fruit
| Also called | Hurma zeytin (the debittered fruit, not a separate variety); furma in Karaburun |
|---|---|
| Main regions | İzmir — Karaburun, Urla, Seferihisar |
| Purpose | Dual-purpose — oil and table, including hurma |
| Oleic acid | ~61% in a non-native trial; no home-region figure published |
| Harvest | Early ripening |
| Disease | Highly resistant to Verticillium wilt |
| Hurma | Oleuropein under 2,000 mg/kg, against up to 35,000 in ordinary fruit |
In the grove
Aroma and flavour descriptors
- 1Olive leaf
- 2Apple
- 3Tomato
These three are the only documented Erkence descriptors we could verify, and they come from a study’s attribute list rather than a reported panel median.
Ordered by how often each recurs in the published varietal literature, not by measured intensity. Our panel has not scored a monovarietal Erkence oil, and no sensory panel data for it is published. 40 of the 40 varieties here read the same way.
This shelf fills when the panel scores an oil made from this variety. 19 of the 40 varieties here are in the same state today.
Erkence against the other Türkiye varieties
| Variety | Origin region | Used for | Polyphenols | Shelf stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayvalık | Edremit Gulf, Balıkesir | Oil | Not published | Not published |
| Memecik | Muğla, southern Aegean | Dual-purpose | 296–407 mg/kg | Not published |
| Gemlik | Gemlik, Bursa, southern Marmara | Dual-purpose | 244–491 mg/kg | Not published |
| Domat | Akhisar, Manisa | Table | ~351 mg/kg (single study) | Not published |
| Uslu | Akhisar, Manisa | Table | ~163 mg/kg (single study) | Not published |
| Nizip Yağlık | Nizip, Gaziantep, southeastern Anatolia | Oil | Not published | Not published |
| Sarıulak | Tarsus, Mersin | Dual-purpose | 602–836 mg/kg | Not published |
| Erkence | İzmir — Karaburun, Urla, Seferihisar | Dual-purpose | ~87 mg/kg | Not published |
Sources
- Natural de-bittering of Hurma olives on the tree, Grasas y Aceites
- Microbial profile of naturally debittered Hurma olives, Int. J. Food Sci. Technol. 51(9):2099
- Erkence oil quality, phenolics and antioxidant capacity, Gıda
Every figure on this page carries a source. Where we could not find one we say so rather than estimating. Corrections are welcome and credited.