THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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July 2026…
Dear followers;
Under normal circumstances, there wouldn’t even be a topic for such a post.
However, such uninformed statements and writings are coming to the forefront that I am forced to address them.
WHAT IS RIVIERA OLIVE OIL?
It is a product obtained by refining raw olive oil, which is not suitable for consumption in its natural state, using physical methods and mixing it with natural olive oil.
WHY IS IT CALLED RIVIERA? ISN’T IT AVAILABLE IN EUROPE?
In Türkiye, years ago, according to one claim, it was given this name to evoke the Mediterranean; according to another claim, it was given in reference to the fact that the first refinery was located in the famous Riviera region of the Mediterranean.
The product I described above is, of course, available all over the world.
Its name is simply the equivalent of the words “mixture of refined oil and natural olive oil” in the relevant country’s language. If there are those who don’t know this and say, “It doesn’t exist abroad; they just made it up here,” you can explain it to them.
CAN IT BE CONSUMED SAFELY?
Why shouldn’t it be consumed?
What problem could there be with a product obtained by lightening the colour of raw olive oil, which is naturally unusable due to its taste, smell, etc., through physical methods; purifying it from its negative aspects through the effects of water vapor, vacuum, and heat and then mixing it with natural olive oil?
WHY IS IT PORTRAYED NEGATIVELY ON SOME PLATFORMS?
If only I knew!
The first reason might be ignorance.
There’s also an interesting trend.
It could be due to behaviours such as gaining fame by denigrating a well-known product, or thinking it’s advantageous to criticize refined oil while promoting natural oil…
By Dr. Fahri Yemişçioğlu,
Ege University, Food Engineering Department
