Zeytinyağlı: The Turkish Way of Cooking With Olive Oil

Walk into a home on Turkey’s Aegean coast in summer, and you will often find a plate of vegetables glistening in olive oil, sitting at room temperature. Green beans. Artichokes. Celery root. Zucchini. This style of cooking is called zeytinyağlı, and it treats olive oil as the main ingredient, not a finishing touch.

Zeytinyağlı means “with olive oil.” This post covers what the style is, why it works, and how to borrow it. One reason it works comes from a 2005 trial in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition by Fielding and colleagues. Twenty-three healthy adults ate one meal of 470 grams of tomatoes a day for five days. Eleven had the tomatoes cooked in 25 mL of extra virgin olive oil. Twelve had them cooked without oil. The difference in what their blood absorbed was large, and it explains a lot about why Turkish cooks use so much oil.

At a Glance: Turkish Olive Oil Dishes •  Zeytinyağlı dishes are vegetables simmered in olive oil and usually served at room temperature or cold. •  Ottoman cooks used mostly animal fat, such as tallow, for a long time. The olive oil trade brought olive oil into royal kitchens. •  A 2012 report put Turkish olive oil use at about 1 kilogram per person each year, against about 10 in Spain, 12 in Italy, and 25 in Greece. •  About 76 percent of Turkey’s 85 million olive trees grow in the Aegean region, where the zeytinyağlı tradition is strongest. •  In a 2005 trial, cooking tomatoes in 25 mL of olive oil raised blood trans-lycopene by 82 percent. Cooking them without oil did not change it.

What Zeytinyağlı Means

Zeytin is the Turkish word for olive, and yağ means oil. Add the ending, and you get “with olive oil.” The word names a way of cooking, not one dish. The Turkey tourism agency GoTürkiye describes it in a Google Arts and Culture feature as simmering vegetables in olive oil. They claim that it keeps the nutritional quality of the ingredients and brings out their flavor.

The best-known dishes include imam bayıldı, which is stuffed eggplant, plus green beans, artichokes, celery root, and zucchini. Most are built around vegetables. The name imam bayıldı means “the imam fainted,” from a folk tale about a religious leader who was so taken by the smell and taste that he passed out.

Why Turkish Cooks Serve These Dishes Cold

Most zeytinyağlı dishes are cooked slowly, then left to cool. They are served at room temperature or chilled. Cooks commonly say the flavors settle as the dish rests, and that a day in the fridge makes it better.

There is a practical reason too. Butter and animal fat turn waxy and heavy when cold. Olive oil stays soft and glossy. That is why this style of cooking works with olive oil and would not work the same way with most other fats.

If you wonder whether a long simmer is safe for olive oil, see Can You Cook with Extra Virgin Olive Oil?.

The Vegetables Behind the Tradition

Zeytinyağlı cooking follows the seasons. Spring brings artichokes and fresh broad beans. Summer brings green beans, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes. Autumn and winter bring celery root and leeks. Grape leaves are rolled and stuffed all year.

Olive oil does more than add flavor to these vegetables. It helps your body use them. Lycopene is the red pigment in tomatoes. It dissolves in fat, not water, so it needs fat to be absorbed. In the Fielding trial, the group that ate tomatoes cooked in olive oil saw trans-lycopene in their blood rise by 82 percent. The group that ate tomatoes cooked without oil saw no real change in trans-lycopene. The trial was small and short, so treat it as a strong hint rather than proof. But it matches what Turkish cooks have done for generations.

Why Olive Oil Is the Main Ingredient, Not a Side Note

Olive oil was not always the center of Turkish cooking. According to GoTürkiye, Ottoman kitchens used mostly animal fats such as tallow for a long time. The olive oil trade then brought olive oil into royal kitchens, and the dishes that followed became a milestone of Turkish cuisine. Menus from the early 20th century, including a wedding menu from 1912, list artichokes and beans cooked in olive oil.

That shift is the same one many cooks make today when they swap butter for olive oil. For what the research says about that swap, see Olive Oil vs Butter: Which Is Healthier for Cooking and Baking.

One caution about the picture of Turkey as an olive oil country. A 2012 report in Olive Oil Times found that Turkey is one of the largest producers, yet people there used only about 1 kilogram of olive oil each per year. Spain used about 10, Italy about 12, and Greece about 25. The same report noted that coastal regions have traditionally used far more than the interior. The zeytinyağlı tradition belongs mainly to the coast, not the whole country. The number is older, and Turkish use has been rising, so read it as a snapshot, not a current figure.

For the research on why people who eat olive oil daily tend to live longer, see Olive Oil and Longevity: Why Mediterranean Centenarians Consume It Daily.

What the Aegean Coast Does Differently

The same Olive Oil Times report found that about 76 percent of Turkey’s 85 million olive trees grow in the Aegean region. That means families there live next to the source. Oil is local, fresh, and cooked with generously, because it is part of the landscape.

That is also where Ayvalık olives grow, the variety Four Hour Olive Oil presses. For why this coast produces such strong oil, see What Makes Turkish Ayvalik Olive Oil Among the World’s Finest.

How to Bring the Zeytinyağlı Method Into Your Kitchen

You do not need a recipe to cook this way. You need four habits.

First, use real oil. Zeytinyağlı dishes are generous with it, because the oil carries the flavor and helps you absorb the vegetables. Second, keep the heat low and the lid on. These dishes simmer; they do not fry. Third, let the dish cool before you eat it. Fourth, serve it at room temperature with bread, and finish with a drizzle of fresh oil and a squeeze of lemon.

For what heat changes in olive oil and what it leaves alone, see Raw vs Cooked Olive Oil: What You Keep and What You Lose.

A tablespoon of olive oil is about 120 calories, so generous does not mean unlimited. Spread across a pot that feeds four people, it adds up to a modest amount per plate.

Use a good everyday extra virgin olive oil for the simmer, and save your best oil for the finishing drizzle. USDA organic olive oil is a good fit for the drizzle, since the oil is not cooked. Store the bottle away from light and heat. For how, see How to Store Olive Oil to Maximize Freshness and Polyphenol Retention.

Why Four Hour Olive Oil Belongs in a Zeytinyağlı Kitchen A dish where olive oil is the main ingredient is only as good as the oil. Polyphenols, the plant compounds behind much of olive oil’s flavor and benefits, start fading the moment olives are picked. Much grocery store oil has lost a large share of them before it reaches your shelf. Four Hour Olive Oil presses Ayvalik olives within 4 hours of harvest on the Aegean coast of Turkey, the same region where the zeytinyağlı tradition lives. It is USDA Organic, single origin, and bottled in Italian dark glass, which makes it a true high-polyphenol olive oil for your finishing drizzle and a strong choice for your pot. If you are going to cook the Turkish way, the oil should actually contain what you are taking it for. Ultra Premium EVOO  |  Premium EVOO  |  Duo

Frequently Asked Questions

What does zeytinyağlı mean?

It means “with olive oil” in Turkish. It names a style of cooking where vegetables are simmered in olive oil, usually served at room temperature or cold.

How do you pronounce zeytinyağlı?

Say it as zay-teen-yah-LUH. The last syllable is a short, soft sound, closer to “uh” than “ee.”

What are the most popular Turkish olive oil dishes?

Imam bayıldı (stuffed eggplant), green beans, artichokes, celery root, and zucchini are among the best known. Stuffed grape leaves, called sarma, are another staple.

Why are zeytinyağlı dishes served cold?

The flavors settle as the dish rests, and olive oil stays soft and glossy when cold, unlike butter or animal fat. Cold dishes are also a welcome choice in hot summers.

Do people in Turkey cook with olive oil every day?

It depends on where. A 2012 report found Turkish olive oil use was about 1 kilogram per person each year, with coastal regions using far more than the interior. The tradition is strongest on the Aegean coast.

Are zeytinyağlı dishes healthy?

They are built around vegetables and olive oil, which matches the Mediterranean eating pattern. The 2005 Fielding trial also found that cooking tomatoes in olive oil raised absorption of lycopene. It was a small, short trial, so it supports the idea without proving it.

Why does olive oil help you absorb nutrients from vegetables?

Some plant compounds, such as lycopene in tomatoes, dissolve in fat and not water. Without fat, much of it passes through unused. Cooking tomatoes in olive oil raised blood trans-lycopene by 82 percent in the Fielding trial.

Is zeytinyağlı vegan?

Many versions are made only with vegetables and olive oil, so they often are. Some versions add meat or stock, so check the dish before you order or cook it.

How much olive oil do these dishes use?

More than most Western recipes, which is the point. A tablespoon is about 120 calories, so the total adds up. Spread across a pot that feeds four people, the amount per plate is moderate.

What olive oil should I use for zeytinyağlı?

Four Hour Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the simmer, and Four Hour Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the finishing drizzle. Both are made from Ayvalik olives from the Aegean coast, the home of this style of cooking. Because the oil is the main ingredient, quality matters more here than in most dishes.

Does simmering in olive oil ruin it?

Gentle, covered simmering is much milder than frying. Heat does reduce some polyphenols, but extra virgin olive oil holds up well in normal home cooking, and the dish keeps most of what makes the oil worth using.

What is imam bayıldı?

A dish of eggplant stuffed with onion, tomato, and olive oil and served at room temperature. The name means “the imam fainted,” from a folk tale about a religious leader who was overwhelmed by how good it smelled and tasted.

References [1] Fielding, J.M., et al. "Increases in plasma lycopene concentration after consumption of tomatoes cooked with olive oil." Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 14(2): 131-136. 2005. View study [2] GoTürkiye (Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency). "Eating Healthy, Turkish Style: The Zingy Zeytinyağlı Menu." Google Arts and Culture. 2023. View study [3] Vij, V. "When It Comes to Olive Oil Consumption, Turkey Lags Behind Other Big Producers." Olive Oil Times. 2012. View study

The studies cited in this post are peer-reviewed and publicly available. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet or health regimen.