Adana kebab

Hand-minced lamb and tail fat packed onto flat skewers with cumin and red pepper: the fierce pride of southern Turkey

Origin: Adana, Turkey

From the journey of Cumin.

Named after the city of Adana in the Çukurova plain of southern Turkey, this kebab is one of the most passionately defended dishes in Turkish cuisine: the subject of legal protected status battles and fierce regional pride. The key distinction is the hand-chopping (kıyma) rather than machine-grinding of the lamb, and the use of kuyruk yağı (fat-tail sheep fat) to bind the mixture. Cumin and pul biber (Aleppo pepper flakes) are the twin spices, forming the aromatic signature of the Ottoman and Anatolian meat tradition. Shaped onto broad flat skewers (şiş) and grilled over charcoal, it is served with lavash bread, grilled tomatoes, and sumac-dressed onions.

Ingredients

Meat

600 g fatty lamb shoulder, hand-minced or coarsely ground
100 g lamb tail fat or suet, very finely chopped

Spices

1 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper flakes)
0.5 tsp hot chilli flakes
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp black pepper

To grill

2 medium tomatoes, halved
2 long green peppers (sivri biber), whole

To serve

1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp sumac
2 sheets lavash or flatbread

Method

Combine the hand-minced lamb, finely chopped tail fat, cumin, pul biber, hot chilli flakes, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Mix with your hands for 3–4 minutes, working the fat into the meat until the mixture becomes sticky and cohesive. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions. With wet hands, mould each portion onto a flat metal skewer, squeezing and pressing into a long, even sausage shape about 15cm long. The meat should grip the skewer firmly.
Prepare a charcoal grill for direct high heat, or heat a cast-iron griddle pan until very hot. Thread the tomato halves and green peppers onto separate skewers.
Grill the kebabs over high heat for 5–6 minutes per side, turning once, until charred on the outside and just cooked through. Grill the tomatoes and peppers alongside until charred.
While the kebabs grill, dress the sliced red onion with sumac and a pinch of salt. Toss and leave to macerate for 5 minutes; the onion will soften slightly and turn pink.
Lay a sheet of lavash on the plate. Slide the kebabs off the skewer onto the bread. Serve with the grilled tomatoes, peppers, sumac onions, and a wedge of lemon.
Eat immediately; Adana kebab waits for no one.

Notes

For a home version without tail fat, substitute 100g of cold butter or additional lamb fat trimmed from the shoulder. The cold temperature is non-negotiable; warm fat makes the mixture fall apart on the skewer. In Adana, the argument about whose kebab is authentic is ongoing and fierce; the protected geographical indication (GI) designation requires hand-chopping and a specific fat-to-meat ratio.

The Gastrographer

Name: Adana kebab
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Turkey
Ingredients: 600 g fatty lamb shoulder, hand-minced or coarsely ground; 100 g lamb tail fat or suet, very finely chopped; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1.5 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper flakes); 0.5 tsp hot chilli flakes; 1 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp black pepper; 2 medium tomatoes, halved; 2 long green peppers (sivri biber), whole; 1 large red onion, thinly sliced; 1 tsp sumac; 2 sheets lavash or flatbread

Mapping Culinary History

To explore — select an ingredient below.

To explore — select an ingredient below · click any location dot on the map for recipes and stories · browse the information panel on the right · trace the full journey on the timeline.

Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control