On a Journey to the Centre of Kebabs 2.0 – Yeknaz T
Hey guys, I’m delighted to be able to present you with the second version of my kebab reviewing article, I hope you enjoy reading and we can discover some mouthwatering kebab’s together. These kebabs/dishes are not ordered in rating as they are all equally delicious.
Iskender kebab:
In first place we have the İskender kebab which is one of the most popular dishes of Turkey. It takes its name from its inventor, İskender Efendi, who lived in Bursa ( a province in turkey along the sea of Marmara coast) in the late 19th century Ottoman Empire. The name “Iskender” means Alexander in Turkish. The dish consists of doner kebab prepared from thinly cut grilled lamb topped with spicy hot tomato sauce over pieces of pita bread and generously slathered with melted butter and yogurt. Iskender is incredibly popular, particularly in the cities of Istanbul and Bursa, where the kebab originated. This Kebab is made by slicing off bits of döner kebab onto a flat bread thats been cut into small squares. Often roasted peppers and tomato are served with it. Its one of the more filling kebabs and is truly delightful when all the flavours combine to perfection.
Lamb chop (pirzola)
Secondly we have Lamb chops (pirzola). This is a Turkish delicacy consisting of a fine cut of lamb, exquisitely seasoned, and quickly seared in a pan to preserve all its inherent flavour. This dish is simply classical – just lamb chops gracefully tossed with ground black pepper, vegetable oil, salt, lemon and lime juice then barbecued to satisfaction served with some refreshing and nutritious barbecued tomatoes and long green peppers that are packed with several good things to complement the pirzolas. Like many other Turkish delights, pirzola had its origins during the early days of the Ottoman Empire. The extra thin cuts from lamb are the primary ingredient used in cooking a fine dinner entrée of pirzola, but there are definitely some pointers to observe in order to make this the culinary delight beloved by so many people in the Middle East. The most highly preferred cuts are lamb and sheep chops, while ribs can also be obtained from cutting the sleeve part off mutton. These mutton sleeve cuts are known as ‘pencil chops’, and are considered to be the softest, tastiest parts of mutton.
Tantuni:
In third place we have my all time favourite Tantuni, this is a spicy wrap consisting of Julienne cut beef or sometimes lamb stir-fried on a sac (a flat or concave disc-shaped frying pan or griddle) with a hint of oil. It is a specialty of the city of Mersin, Turkey. The meat in tantuni is first crushed and boiled in salted water, then fried in oil. Afterwards meat is wrapped with lavaş bread together with chopped onions, chopped tomato slices, green peppers and parsley. The resulting mass is seasoned with pepper, salt and possibly other spices, and served wrapped in tortilla bread. With the recent trend in fast-food, Tantuni has become a healthier and more traditional alternative to other similar foods. It’s usually served with ayran and pickled pepper. Amazingly , this mouthwatering wrap can be purchased from £2-3 in Turkish restaurants located in London. Traditionally, the dish is served rolled in a wheat wrap, with ground sumac and a lemon wedge on the side. Since every tantuni chef has his own method and secret technique of preparing the dish, it is said that the flavours of tantuni are never the same. Tantuni was originally created as a poor man’s dish – it’s very nutritious because it consists of meat with a lot of fat stuffed into bread. Some believe that the name of the dish refers to the sound that the meat and spices make when they are brought from the rim of the pan to its centre.
Thank you very much for reading I hope you have enjoyed part two of my food blogs, look out for my upcoming articles and see you next week!
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