Kebap is a category of food that, like börek, is quintessentially Turkish, dating back to the era when nomadic Turks learned to grill and roast meat over their campfires.
Given the many types of kebap, it helps to categorize them by how the meat is cooked. The Western world is most familiar with şiş kebap and döner, introduced largely by Greek and Turkish entrepreneurs. Şiş kebap consists of cubes of marinated meat grilled on skewers. Döner kebap is made by stacking alternating layers of seasoned ground meat and sliced leg of lamb on a large upright skewer, which rotates slowly in front of a vertical grill. As the outer layer roasts, thin slices are shaved off to be served.
There are numerous other grilled kebaps as well, including varieties cooked in a clay oven. It is worth noting that the distinctive taste of Turkish kebaps owes more to the breeds of sheep and cattle—raised on open pastures by traditional shepherds—than to any special marinade or cooking technique. For the authentic experience, you really need to visit a kebap restaurant in Türkiye.
The kebapçı (kebap restaurant) is by far the most common and least expensive type of restaurant in Türkiye, ranging from a hole in the wall to large, lavish establishments. Kebap is Türkiye’s answer to fast food—quick, affordable, and not especially bad for you. A typical kebapçı will offer lahmacun (a thin, round flatbread topped with spiced minced meat), Adana kebap (spicy skewered ground meat named after the southern city where it originated), salad greens with red onions, and baklava to finish. Beyond those staples, the menu will reflect the house specialty. The best strategy is to seek out well-known establishments and, if you are not yet accustomed to kebap, start with the milder varieties. Once you develop a taste for it, you can enjoy inexpensive feasts at neighborhood kebapçı shops anywhere in Ankara or Istanbul.
Izgara (mixed grill) is how main-course meat dishes are typically prepared at a meat restaurant. A mixed grill is likely to include lamb chops, köfte (ground-meat patties), and şiş (select cubes of grilled meat). Köfte comes in many forms—grilled, fried, oven-baked, or boiled—after the meat is mixed with spices, eggs, and grated onion, then carefully shaped into balls, oblongs, or round or elongated patties.
Another beloved dish is çiğ köfte, often compared to the European steak tartare. According to popular legend, the dish traces its roots to nomadic Turks who carried raw, spiced meat in their saddlebags. In its traditional form, çiğ köfte is made by vigorously kneading raw, double-ground meat with fine bulgur and hot spices for an extended period. Bite-sized patties are then formed and served with fresh cilantro, which is valued for its digestive properties. Today, many versions are made without raw meat, using only bulgur and spices.
Some restaurants specialize exclusively in grilled meats, in which case they are known as meat restaurants (et lokantası). The experience is a steady procession of grilled meats served hot in small portions straight from the grill, course after course, until you tell the waiter you have had enough.