This year, at the 11th OLIVTECH – Olive, Olive Oil, Dairy Products, Wine and Technologies Fair, many agreements and sales were signed, while the organized talks informed both participants and visitors on many subjects. Agriculture and Food Writer, Olive Oil Tasting Expert Bilge Keykubat held a tasting event with the olive oils of the fair participants in the talk titled “The Right Olive Oil and Tasting for End Consumers”. Keykubat also explained what to consider when purchasing and storing olive oil.
Speaking at the 11th OLIVTECH – Olive, Olive Oil, Dairy Products, Wine and Technologies Fair, hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ on May 23-25, Bilge Keykubat said, “We cannot eat something that we do not enjoy and taste. Our sense of taste changes and develops according to the culture we live and grow up in. Plants are living beings. They are affected by the climate, soil, people, systems, production techniques and duration, and the technology used during production. Therefore, we can produce olive oil with different tastes from the same tree every year.”
Olive Oil May Be More Bitter and Burning in Early Harvest
Emphasizing that there are many important points to be considered from harvest to storage in order to ensure that olive oil is of high quality, delicious and long-lasting, Bilge Keykubat said, “During the harvest and olive picking phase, the harvest from the beginning of October to the end of January is the most ideal period for olive oil production. The olives collected during this period are at their most suitable in terms of ripening levels. It is important that the olives do not fall to the ground, because olives that fall to the ground become more susceptible to fungal or bacterial contamination. This negatively affects the quality of the olive oil.
Olive oil may be more bitter and burning in early harvest, but these oils are richer in antioxidants and polyphenols. Storage and preservation are also of great importance for olive oil. Olive oil should be stored in a cool and shaded place, away from air, light, humidity and odors. Dark-colored glass bottles or tin packages should be preferred for packaging. These packages protect olive oil from the harmful effects of light and prevent it from spoiling. Tightly closing the bottle cap after use minimizes the contact of the oil with air and prevents it from spoiling.”
Unregistered Oils that Seem Reasonable in Terms of Price Should Definitely Not Be Purchased
Keykubat explained the points to consider when buying olive oil by saying, “We do not recommend olive oils sold in plastic bottles on the side of the road or in markets, because these oils lose their properties after sitting in the sun for hours. Unregistered oils that seem reasonable in terms of price should definitely not be purchased. When buying olive oil from markets, you can first buy small sizes and taste them before making your choice. You can safely consume olive oil until the expiration date stated on the packaging by protecting it from heat, light and oxygen.”
İzmir has To Be the Capital of Olives and Olive Oil
Keykubat, who also emphasized that İzmir is the commercial and production center of olives and olive oil in Turkey, said, “Izmir has to be the capital of olives and olive oil. At this point, all of us and our institutions have a lot of work to do. The İzmir Commodity Exchange, which I also work for, the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, the İzmir Chamber of Commerce, the Aegean Region Chamber of Industry, the Aegean Exporters’ Associations, district municipalities, İZFAŞ, all institutions in İzmir are making great efforts in this regard. But even these should not be enough, we must work harder.
When it comes to olive oil fairs, the first thing that comes to mind in Turkey should be İzmir. Turkey produces the highest quality olive oil in the world. It is our duty to ensure the promotion, public relations and branding of these products. These fairs are the most beautiful and suitable areas for us to explain all of these.”
Olive Oil Art Talk
In the talk titled “Olive Oil Art” in Olivtech Fair, the speakers were Writer, Gourmet Nihat Özdal and Writer, Artist İnanç Avadit. İnanç Avadit said, “The first homeland of olive trees, the place where they were first domesticated and put into agriculture is today the Southeastern Anatolia Region. In archaeology, this region is known as the Fertile Crescent. Its name is Mesopotamia. The first sources of wild olives also came from here. Later, like everything else, it was also taken over by the Ancient Greeks. Olive oil is one of these.”
Avadit, talking about the 3,200-year-old tree in Milas, Muğla that still produces olives and olive oil, said, “The answer to the question of whether this tree was planted there or whether an olive was carried by the wind and emerged naturally is unknown. When this tree started living, there was still the Hittite Empire in Anatolia.
When this 3,200-year-old olive tree started living there, there was no mention of Ancient Greece yet. This tree has seen many civilizations such as the first civilizations of Ancient Greece, the Romans, the Seljuks, the Ottomans, it has seen wars, witnessed historical events. This is very fascinating to me. This tree, which comes from the same period as the history of olive oil, has witnessed wars, peace, disasters.”
My Olive Journey is Spent Going Back and Forth between Mesopotamia and the Aegean
Author Nihat Özdal also said, “My olive journey is spent going back and forth between Mesopotamia and the Aegean. When Epicurus, one of the important philosophers of the ancient age, was exiled, he came to the ancient city of Teos in Seferihisar and established a happiness commune. At that time, it was a time when people in the Roman Empire lived at their most opulent and eating and drinking caused dissatisfaction. Epicurus lived happily in Teos with those who believed that happiness could actually be achieved with a few olives and some bread and water, and who followed this idea.”
Özdal stated that he has been interested in hunter and gatherer cuisine for a long time and has been researching and writing books on the subject, and said, “In my opinion, although the olive is a fruit of the Mediterranean basin, its homeland is Mesopotamia. Olive was a food that our hunter and gatherer ancestors extracted oil from before they even had a home, even when they were living in caves. Olive pits were found in Göbeklitepe, known as the starting point of history and where ruins from 11 thousand years ago have been found, which clearly shows us that olives have existed since the beginning of mankind until today.”