Develi1912 Samatya ★ 4.4
Develi has fired Gaziantep kebabs at its Samatya address for decades, the canonical Istanbul pistachio kebap stop behind the old Marmara walls.
SignatureFıstıklı kebap, Içli köfte, Antep katmer
History
Named for the southern Turkish city that perfected it, Adana kebap was registered as a Turkish protected designation in 2005, defining its hand-minced texture and minimum fat ratio. Istanbul lamb-kebab houses have served the dish for a century; the city's Adana-immigrant families keep the southern recipe close to canonical.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 600g shoulder of lamb, twice hand-chopped (not minced in a machine)
- 150g lamb tail fat or fatty lamb belly, finely chopped
- 1 long red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (pul biber)
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon flaky salt
- Lavash flatbreads, to serve
- 2 ripe tomatoes and 2 long green peppers, for grilling
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced, tossed with 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley
Method
- Mix the lamb, fat, red pepper, Aleppo pepper, paprika and salt with your hands until it just holds together; do not over-work.
- Rest the mix 1 hour in the fridge so the salt tightens the proteins.
- Divide into 4 equal portions. Press each portion the length of a long flat metal skewer in a thin even strip, ridging the surface with wet fingers so the fat sits in the grooves.
- Light a charcoal grill until the coals glow grey. Lay the skewers a hand's width above the coals.
- Grill 4 minutes a side, lifting and turning, until the surface is char-spotted and the fat is rendering into the coals (the flare is part of the flavour).
- Lay each skewer on a sheet of lavash and pull the meat off with the bread. Serve with grilled tomato and pepper, sumac onion and parsley.
Tip from the editors. Hand-chopping with two heavy knives is what gives Adana its texture; the food processor turns the meat to paste and the kebap collapses on the skewer.
Where to eat adana kebap
Adana kebap in Istanbul
Antiochia ★ 4.4
Antiochia on a Beyoğlu side street, an Antakya (Hatay) kitchen plating southeastern grills and Levant mezze from a tight Asmalımescit address.
Why locals goTucked on a tight General Yazgan side-street in Asmalımescit, often walked past on the way to bigger meyhanes.
TipOrder the cevizli biber, the kunefe and the cag kebab together.
Siirt Şeref Büryan ★ 4.5
Siirt Şeref Büryan on İtfaiye Caddesi, a Kadınlar Pazarı corner pulling lamb büryan from a tandır pit oven that fires through the night, the Avcı family.
Why locals goBuried in Kadınlar Pazarı behind the Valens Aqueduct, the Fatih corner Kurdish migrants from Siirt have run since 1987 and few non-Turkish guidebooks reach.
TipOrder büryan around 11:00 before the lunch crowd; the perde pilavı and a tas kebabı round out a full table.
More cities are in research. Want adana kebap covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.