Adana Kebabı

Adana Kebabı is named for the city of Adana on Turkey's hot, fertile southern plain — a city whose identity is inseparable from this dish. The region grows Aleppo peppers (known in Turkey as "isot biber" in its dried black form) in abundance, and the local lamb fat renders differently than anywhere else, producing a kebab that is at once fiery, juicy, and complex. The city's kofteci (kebab restaurants) are the standard by which the whole country measures itself.

The making of Adana kebab is highly technical: the meat must be hand-minced (never machine-minced) fat-tail lamb, seasoned with red pepper flakes and Aleppo pepper, then kneaded thoroughly to develop the protein bonds that allow it to adhere to wide flat skewers without binding agents. An authentic Adana kebabçı guards the meat ratio — typically 70% lean to 30% fat — and the width and thickness of the skewer as closely as any trade secret.

A dispute between Adana and neighbouring Mersin over which city makes the "true" version of the kebab is so serious that the Adana kebab has been granted a Geographical Indication by the Turkish Patent Institute, meaning only kebabs made in Adana from local lamb may legally use the name. Ours is made in the same spirit: hand-seasoned, char-grilled, and served with rice, salad, two dips and pitta bread.