ADANA KEBAP

According to the Designation of Origin, Adana kebabı is made from the meat of a male lamb that is younger than one year of age. The animal has to be grown in its natural environment and fed with the local flora.

The meat should then be cleansed of its silverskin, 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

The next day, the rested meat and fat must be ground by hand, using a crescent-shaped iron cleaver known as the zırh. Only sweet red peppers (also hand-chopped with the zırh) and salt should be added. The Designation of Origin also authorizes, "under certain circumstances", the addition of spicy green capsicum and fresh garlic cloves.

The meat is then thoroughly kneaded together with the fat, the salt and the additional ingredients until reaching a homogenous consistency.

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 of Adana kebabı is 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.

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 an Usta, the meat will separate from the skewer during roasting. The Turkish word "Usta" derives from the Persian "Ostad" (أستاد) originally meaning "Master" but also now a common honorific to show deference to someone's expertise.

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.