🫒 Nabali

Nabali is an old olive cultivar of the Southern Levant, grown both for oil and for table olives. The World Catalogue of Olive Varieties of the International Olive Council (IOC) lists it as Nabali Baladi from Jordan, and on the West Bank of the Jordan River it is considered the most widespread local cultivar.

According to a 2012 IOC review, Nabali Baladi and Rasi'i are the two most widespread cultivars in Jordan. Nabali does well in all of the country's olive areas, both in the western highlands and on the irrigated eastern plains. On the West Bank it grows mainly on the hills of the north and centre, and partly in the Gaza Strip. The tree is vigorous and spreading, drought-tolerant and moderately tolerant of salinity, and it resists most common diseases and pests.

The fruit is small to medium, ovoid and asymmetric, weighing 2–4 g. The firm flesh clings tightly to the stone and makes up about 82% of the fruit's weight. The fruit contains 20–35% oil, and the oil has 67–71% oleic acid.

The names are tricky. Local growers distinguish several cultivars: Nabali Baladi, Nabali Muhassan, Souri, Souri Rumi and Mailsi. A 2023 genetic study showed that the trees growers call Nabali Baladi, Souri and Souri Rumi belong to one genetic group, the same as the Souri cultivar, while Nabali Muhassan forms a separate group.

Why it matters to you. If “Nabali” appears on a jar or a bottle, it names a local Levantine cultivar used for both oil and table olives. Read it with care, though: in some villages “Nabali” and “Souri” are two names for one tree, while Nabali Muhassan is a different cultivar.