Enjoying an Adana Kebab

One of the most popular food items in southeastern Turkey is the Adana kebab. It is a long meat kebab cooked using a wide iron skewer on an open grill. This kebab got its name from the city of Adana, which is Turkey’s fifth-largest. At first, it was called the kıyma kebabı. The words translate into minced meat kebab.

Turkish Cuisine Influence

Some of the earliest cooking methods for meats utilized variations of the modern kebabs. Some people think the original kebab may have started in the 12th century. It is believed soldiers would put large hunks of mean on their swords and then put them in the ground close to a fire. People in Turkey have been refining their cooking methods involving meat and fire for thousands of years. According to some historians, the idea of the kebab is a result of combining Arab and Turkish cultures. The Adana kebab is such a strong part of the Turkish culture it was given a “Controlled Designation of Origin” in February of 2005.

Preparation

An authentic Adana kebab must be prepared in a certain way. The meat should come from a male lamb that is less than a year old. The lamb used for the meat mixture needs to have grown in a natural environment and only eaten the local flora. The meat used from the lamb must be free of nerves, silverskin as well as internal fat. Once the meat is properly cleaned, it should be cut into shanks and laid to rest with the tail fat for at least a day. The following day, the meat should be ground by hand with an iron cleaver known as a Zirh. The only things that can be added at this point are salt and sweet red peppers that have been chopped. There are certain situations when fresh cloves of garlic, as well as the spice capsicum, can be added.

Skewering

The lamb meat mixture for the Adana kebab is carefully placed on an iron skewer. Approximately 6.5 ounces of the meat mixture is put on a single skewer. There are wider skewers able to handle up to 9.5 ounces of the meat mixture. A small amount of water is used during the process as it enables the meat to stick better to the skewer. Olive oil can be placed on the outside. Skewering the meat is the most important step in the process. If it is not done correctly, the meat can come away from the skewer during the cooking process.

Cooking

Once a skewer is properly impaled with the meat mixture, it is then cooked over hot coals that don’t produce flames. During the cooking process, the skewers are often turned. The fat will melt. It is then collected on flatbread. This is done by pressing pieces of flatbread onto the cooking meat mixture. Doing this is a way to heat the bread. When the meat becomes a dark brown, it is ready to be served.

Serving The Adana Kebab