I feel that I’ve been assigned a very important life mission. And it’s not just making people aware of what Italian pizza is really about. Because it turns out that even fewer people are aware of what features it has… a real Turkish kebap! Because what do you associate with it? Certainly, with nothing very delicious, rather with a medium tasty snack after an overnight party, stuffed to the brim with salads and a greasy sauce.
Last year I spent almost a week in Istanbul and before leaving my friend begged me for only one thing, he said: “Ania, when you come back to Poland, be sure to tell others about what we showed you! Make them aware that what they eat is not a “kebab”! “
As promised to Faruk, today I decided to explain everything to you and describe what characterizes this delicious Turkish kebap that you won’t find anywhere in Poland.
Turkish kebap and Italian pizza – what connects these dishes?
What connects Turkish kebap with Italian pizza? I already explain to you. QUALITY. And more precisely the high quality of the ingredients from which both dishes are prepared. Unfortunately, in Poland they are not associated with us in this way.
There is one more additive that we commonly use in Poland, and which has absolutely nothing to do with these dishes in their home countries. Of course, I’m talking about … garlic sauce!
Just as Italians don’t pour pizza with garlic sauce, so in Turkish kebabs we won’t find sauces in large quantities. And they certainly won’t be in a garlic edition.
And one last thing. Turkish kebap and Italian pizza don’t have much in common with fast food. Of course, in its original form.
What is kebap?
Let’s start with the fact that what we call a “kebab” in Poland, is not really kebap. Our guilty pleasure, usually eaten at night, is closest to the Turkish dish called “döner kebap”.
The name “döner” comes from the Turkish word dönmek, which means to rotate. It refers to meat rotating on a vertical spit, which is then scaled to Turkish pita, a wheat cake or served in a version on a plate. TERRIBLE SALADS or greasy sauces are NOT added.
Döner kebap served in a wheat cake (durum) is enriched only by a small portion of vegetables (tomatoes, onions) and a very modest amount of tomato, spicy sauce. Just like in the case of Neapolitan pizza, where the key to success is the dough, tomato sauce and mozzarella (i.e. a small number of ingredients!), Just like in a Turkish kebab you will be delighted with delicious, high-quality meat and wheat pancakes.
The word “kebap” means meat that is put on a skewer and grilled in a horizontal position. In Turkey, lamb is most commonly used for kebabs, but beef and chicken are also popular. What characterizes all these types of meat is their high quality, which is so different from what we get in Polish kebabs. This has a powerful impact on its final taste and our experience.
The father of all “doners” in the world is Iskender Efendi, who was the first to come up with the idea to start grilling meat vertically instead of traditionally horizontally.
There are many types of kebab in Turkey alone. Apparently, each region in this country has its own variety of this delicious dish. The name kebab refers to the way the meat was prepared and not served – remember it!
Kebabs can be served on a plate and this is called Porsiyon. We can also ask for the meat to wrap in the pie and then it will be called Durum. During my trip I tried only a few different kebab proposals and they were:
- DONER KEBAP, these are pieces of cut meat spinning on a vertical spit. It’s often served on a plate along with rice, fries and vegetables.
- DONER DURUM, these are pieces of cut meat (doner kebap) placed in lavash, i.e. wheat cake. If you want to take a kebab with you, choose this option. :))
- ADANA KEBAP, prepared from finely ground lamb meat, combined with salt, hot peppers, onions and other Turkish spices. They are studded on flat metal skewers and grilled on a horizontal spit.
- KOFTE KEBAP, i.e. minced meat stuffed with shashlik sticks.
I hope that after this article it will be clear to you what a real Turkish kebap is and I made you aware that it has little to do with what we eat in Poland. I recommend you go to Turkey, especially Istanbul, and see for yourself how amazing this Turkish dish tastes!
Where in Poland you can eat a real Turkish kebap?
I can recommend the EFES restaurant in Warsaw, which is really delicious and serves truly Turkish dishes! My Instagram followers also recommended Maho, Big boss and Sapko in Warsaw. What else would you add to this list?
Have you ever eaten a real Turkish kebab? How did you like it? Let me know in the comments!
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