Adana kebabı
 | |
| Alternative names | Acılı kıyma kebabı |
|---|---|
| Course | Main dish, with salad (onion, leaves and spice) |
| Place of origin | Turkey |
| Region or state | Adana-Mersin[1] |
| Created by | Unknown |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Hand-minced lamb and tail fat |
Adana kebab(Turkish:Adana kebabı) is a dish that consists of long, hand-mincedmeat, mounted on a wide iron skewer and grilled on an openmangalfilled with burningcharcoal.The kebab is named afterAdana,the fifth-largest city ofTurkey,and was originally known as thekıyma kebabı(lit: minced meatkebab) orkıymain Adana-Mersin and the southeastern provinces of Turkey.[1]
History
[edit]
Kebabs are usually made out of ground lamb meat and tail fat, though there are many regional variations. Kebabs are fairly common in the area fromMersinin Turkey toKirkukin Iraq, and includesAleppoin Syria.[1]According to many authors, this kebab was born out of a fusion ofTurkishandArabcultures.Birecik,once an important locality in theEyalet of Aleppo,is said to be the creator of this very kind of kebab.[1]The version prepared and consumed today in the province of Adana also has a history rooted in the modern Turkish culture, only to receive a "Controlled Designation of Origin"in February 2005, after subsequent legal trials.[2][3]
Geographical distribution
[edit]Original geography
[edit]According to the Patent Registrar, an originalAdana kebabıis made only by a vendor who has successfully passed an inspection conducted on the spot by the Adana Chamber of Commerce.[4]
Thekıyma kebabıis still prepared in its historical location. Similar dishes are prepared in neighboring zones ofTurkey,SyriaandIraq,where the meat is hand-ground with the addition of tail fat and occasionally a non-spicy capsicum.[1][note 1]
Recent geography and misconceptions
[edit]New variants of the kıyma kebabı, not protected under the same patents, have been enjoyed since the 1950s,[1]in communities in the former Ottoman Empire territories, includingIstanbul,Baghdad,andDamascus.These versions are adapted to the local tastes and cannot be considered the original kıyma kebabı:
- InIstanbul,and other Turkish communities outside ofAdanaandAleppo,akıyma kebabıis either anAdana kebabı(the spicy variant) or anUrfa kebabı(the non-spicy one). The originalAdana kebabıwas not spicy at all, andUrfa kebabıdid not exist, even inUrfa.[4]
Preparation
[edit]Mincing and kneading
[edit]According to the Designation of Origin, Adana kebabı is made from the meat of a malelambthat is younger than one year of age. The animal has to be grown in its natural environment and fed with the local flora.[5]
The meat should then be cleansed of itssilverskin,nerves and internal fat. After the cleansing, it should be cut into rough chunks and, along with tail fat at a proportion of one to five, rested for a day.[5]
The next day, the rested meat and fat must be ground by hand, using a crescent-shaped iron cleaver known as thezırh.Only sweet red peppers (also hand-chopped with thezırh) and salt should be added. The Designation of Origin also authorizes, "under certain circumstances", the addition of spicy green capsicum and fresh garlic cloves.[5]
The meat is then thoroughly kneaded together with the fat, the salt and the additional ingredients until reaching a homogenous consistency.[5]
Impaling
[edit]After reaching homogeneity, the mixture is placed on iron skewers that are 0.5 cm thick, 3 cm wide and anywhere from 90 to 120 cm long. One portion ofAdana kebabıis typically 180 grams of meat on one skewer. A "portion-and-half ",impaled on slightly wider skewers can not include less than 270 grams, as per the designation label.[5]
A little water allows the minced meat to adhere better to the skewer, which is the hardest step in the making of this kebab. If not done properly by anUsta,[6]the meat will separate from the skewer during roasting.[5]The Turkish word "Usta" derives from the Arabic "ustadth" or "ustaz" (أستاذ) originally meaning "professor," but also now a common honorific to show deference to someone's expertise.[1]
Cooking
[edit]The impaled skewers are roasted over flame-less coals of oak wood. When the meat turns dark brown, it is ready. The skewers are frequently turned during this process. The melting fat is collected on flatbread by pressing pieces of flatbread against the meat as it roasts; this also serves to heat the bread.[5]
Serving and eating
[edit]The kebab is commonly served on a plate, as aPorsiyon,or wrapped in flatbread, as aDürüm.
Porsiyon
[edit]
The kebab is served over the flatbread used to catch the drippings. It is accompanied by roasted tomatoes, green or red peppers and julienned onions with parsley and sumac. Other typicalmezesin Adana-Mersin served with the kebab include red pepperezmewith pomegranate molasses, freshmintandtarragonleaves, braisedshallothearts with olive oil and pomegranate molasses, pickled small green chili peppers, and, aroundMersin,greenshallotstems with slices ofbitter orange,citron,limeandlemon.Many restaurants aroundAdanawill also bring hothummuswith butter topped withpastırmaon the side.[5]
The way to eatporsiyonis to skin and crush the charred tomatoes and peppers into a paste, to put them in a piece of flatbread with part of the kebab, topped by a generous pinch of the onion-sumac-parsley mixture, and to wrap the whole thing into a few small thickdürüms.
Ayranandsalgamare two staple beverages consumed with kebab in daytime. On hot summer evenings, ice-coldrakıalongside salgam is often preferred.
Dürüm
[edit]The browned kebab is taken out of themangal,removed from the skewer and placed on top of a large loaf of flatbread (mostlylavaşortırnak pidesi), topped by a pinch of julienned onions, small diced tomatoes, some parsley, then sprinkled with a little salt,cuminandsumacand finally wrapped into a long roll.Ayranis more commonly consumed with dürüm compared to theŞalgam.
Variations
[edit]Many variations of thekıyma kebabı,all based on hand-chopped lamb meat and tail fat, are found around the Cilician and Mesopotamian parts of the formerOttoman Empire.[1]
Some notable regional examples are:
Adana-Mersin
[edit]- Metrelik kebap:a recent specialty that saw the light thanks to some of most famousustas (chefs) ofAdana.It is nothing but a very long thickKıyma kebabıthat can be 1 to 10 meters, depending on the number of guests on the table. The iron skewers are both long and heavy (some weigh up to 15 kilograms) and specially crafted.
- Beytî:a take on the famousBeytiof Istanbul. Parsley and fresh garlic cloves are chopped alongside the meat and the fat instead of capsicum.
- Kebab Tarsûsî:more common in the eponymous city ofTarsus,thiskıyma kebabıincludes only minced onion with the meat and the fat.[1]
Gaziantep/Aleppo/Şanlıurfa
[edit]- Haşhaş kebabıor كباب خشخاش: very famous inNizip,Urfa,BirecikandAleppo,this is a very simple form ofkıyma kebabı,that can at times contain a hint ofcaul fatand crushedwalnuts,making it crispier.[1]
- Simit kebabı(Antep),oruk kebabı(Kilis) or كبّة مشويّة (Halep): is a distant cousin of thekıyma kebabıand includes, per kilogram of meat, one glassful of soakedbulgur,a few shallots, 30 grams ofpine nutsand only 100 grams of tail fat. Different herbs and spices such as dried mint flakes,paprikapowder,sumacandcuminmay be added to the mixture to taste.[1]
- Fıstıklı kebap:a speciality ofAntepthat has around 150 grams of coarsely ground pistachio kernels per kilogram of meat and fat.
- Sebzeli kebap:another specialty ofAntepwhere red and green peppers as well as onions and parsley are hand-chopped together alongside the meat and the fat.
 |
- Süleymâniye kebabıor كباب سليمانية: an Iraqi variety, that differs from the classicAdana kebabıin a few ways, notably the fact that no pepper or spice whatsoever is added to the mixture, which is also roasted in a special mangal that has a powerful blower mounted on one side, which raises the temperature of the charcoal. The result is akıyma kebabıthat has a kind of glazed and crispy outer crust. It is named after the city ofSulaymaniyah,Iraqi Kurdistan.
Events
[edit]Adana kebab, has been celebrated as a festival inAdanasince 2010.Adana Kebab and Şalgam Festival,emerged from a hundred-year tradition of enjoying kebab, with liver,şalgamandrakı.The event turned into a nationwide popular street festival, street musicians playing drums andzurna,entertain visitors all night long at the second Saturday night of every December.[7]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^Please refer to the "Variations"section of the same article for a more extensive list of the original Pan-Aleppan variants.
References
[edit]- ^abcdefghijDağdeviren, Musa (2010). "Kebap Kültüründe Bölgesel Farklılıklar".Yemek Ve Kültür(in Turkish). Istanbul: Çiya Yayınları: 160.ISSN1305-2780.
- ^Managing Intellectual Property.
- ^Chamber of Commerce, Istanbul (2009)."Designation of Origin - Citation of the Decree Law Patenting the Adana Kebabı"(in Turkish). Adana Ticaret Odası. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-14.Retrieved2020-06-09.
- ^abChamber of Commerce, Adana (2005)."Execution Guideline for the Patented Adana Kebabı"(in Turkish). Adana Ticaret Odası. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-08-26.Retrieved2011-03-21.
- ^abcdefghChamber of Commerce, Adana (2005)."Instruction for the Production, Presentation and the Serving of the Patented Adana Kebabı"(in Turkish). Adana Ticaret Odası. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-09-03.Retrieved2011-03-21.
- ^"Usta" is aTurkishword, similar in its sense to theFrenchword "maître" although its scope of use is wider, and it is a title, usually added after the first name, to denote a master of any craft or trade.
- ^"Rakıcılar bir kez daha" Dünya Rakı Günü "nde buluşuyor".Retrieved15 November2016.
External links
[edit]
- Article and Picture Gallery about the preparation of the Adana kebabı by the Adana Chamber of Commerce
- Recipe: Adana Köfte (Turkey)
- Introduction to Turkish Food Regions -- Adana
