Adana Kebab

Adana Kebab ("Adana kebabı" in Turkish) is a long, charcoal grilled, minced meat brochette mounted on a wide skewer. It is named after Adana, the fifth largest city of Turkey, in the Mediterranean region. It is originally known as "kıyma kebabı" (minced meat kebab) or simply as "kıyma" in Adana.

The original Adana Kebab is made from ground lamb meat cleaned of its silverskin (connective tissue) and mixed with fat from the lamb tail. Ideally the meat is hand chopped but often you will find it machine ground in a single pass, mixed with fat in a proportion of one to five. Only salt and dried red pepper flakes (sweet or hot according to taste) are added to the meat. Red bell pepper can be hand chopped into very small pieces and be used instead of chili pepper. 4 or 5 ounces (100 or 150 grams) of meat are mounted on a special skewer which is about convert|3|ft|m long (80-90 cm) and about an inch wide (2.0-2.5 cm). Then it is grilled over hot charcoal.

During the grilling the fat melts and burns on the charcoal. The fire is not allowed to reach the meat; otherwise it leaves black soot on the meat. The dripping fat is usually removed by a piece of fresh flatbread - pide (also known as "berberi") bread or lavash.

After the meat has browned, it is slid off the skewer onto a bed of pide or lavash bread slices and is served with an accompaniment of onion salad garnished with sumac, barbecued tomato quarters, and bell peppers, on a large white plate. Parsley, mint, and a salad of choice, are served alongside on separate dishes. Lemon (in the past, more often, citron) juice is used to provide a sour taste to cut through the high fat content of the meal.

Usually "ayran" (a diluted yogurt drink), or "şalgam" (turnip juice), is served as a beverage with it. However, raki, (anise based Turkish liqueur), is frequently served. An alternative is to serve it as a roll ("dürüm" also known as "sokum"); the meat and the vegetables are rolled in a pide bread. This is more of a fast food style of serving this dish, although the vegetables and meat are all prepared fresh.

Adana Kebap is a protected Geographical Indication under the Turkish patent office. [ [http://www.managingip.com/Article/1788485/Lokum-controversy-raises-awareness-of-GIs.html Managing Intellectual Property ] ]

See also

*Döner kebab
*Kebab
*Adana

References

External links

* [http://www.adanaliyiz.org/index.php?pid=1 Adana Kebap (Turkey)]
* [http://www.cliffordawright.com/recipes/adana.html Recipe: Adana Kebab (Turkey)]
* [http://www.learningpracticalturkish.com/regional-foods--intro-and-adana.html Introduction to Turkish Food Regions -- Adana]