Nizip Yağlık
The oil variety of southeastern Anatolia, and one of a group there that stands out for oleic acid above 75% — high by Turkish standards. Its harvest window is unusually long, running from November into the first week of February.
In the grove
Nizip Yağlık is grown around Nizip in Gaziantep, and across Kilis and Adıyaman. It sits alongside Kilis Yağlık, Halhalı and Eğriburun as the established oil varieties of the region — separate cultivars, not synonyms, despite being grouped together in the literature. The fruit is small, in the 326 to 421 per kilo class.
A study of 28 varieties in the Gaziantep collection named Nizip Yağlık among ten that stood out for oleic acid above 75%. Beyond that the published record is thin: no total phenol figure, no Rancimat value and no sensory descriptors specific to this cultivar could be found. The regional oil carries a protected designation, Nizip Zeytinyağı, which requires the variety.
Compared with the other reference cultivars
| Cultivar | Origin | Typical polyphenols | Sensory profile | Best pairing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nizip Yağlık | Gaziantep, Türkiye | Not published | Not published | Regional cuisine — kebab, bulgur, mezze |
| 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.