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.
Signature: Fıstıklı 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 love it: Tucked on a tight General Yazgan side-street in Asmalımescit, often walked past on the way to bigger meyhanes.
Tip: Order 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 love it: Buried in Kadınlar Pazarı behind the Valens Aqueduct, the Fatih corner Kurdish migrants from Siirt have run since 1987 and few non-Turkish guidebooks reach.
Tip: Order 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.