Uslu
One of the few Turkish varieties whose reputation rests on the fully black, tree-ripened table olive rather than on oil. Its protected designation is written entirely around that use — harvested in November, at a brilliant dark black.
In the grove
Uslu is the other Akhisar variety alongside Domat, and is grown across the Aegean with reports of secondary plantings elsewhere. Its geographical indication designates it a black table olive and names November as the optimal harvest. It is sensitive to Verticillium wilt, and Turkish extension literature uses it as a pollinator for Manzanilla.
It has one distinctly practical quality: the highest seed germination rate of thirteen Turkish cultivars tested for rootstock potential, at 44.6%, which makes it one of the better choices for raising seedling rootstocks. Beyond that the published record is thin — no oil yield, no oleic acid range and no Rancimat figure could be found, and the single phenol value below is one sample from one study.
Compared with the other reference cultivars
| Cultivar | Origin | Typical polyphenols | Sensory profile | Best pairing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uslu | Manisa, Türkiye | ~163 mg/kg (single study) | Not published | The olive itself — Turkish breakfast |
| 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.