What is İskender Kebab?
‘İskender Kebab’ is the king of Turkish Kebabs. If you’re a meat lover, you already know that Turkish cuisine is the home of grilled meats and kebab dishes. ‘İskender Kebab’ is one of the most popular meat dishes of Turkish cuisine and it is also very popular around the globe too. ‘İskender Kebab’ is the way of serving vertically roasted lamb meat slices, known as ‘Döner Kebab’, on a thin crust ‘Pide’ bread with tomato sauce, melted sheep butter and yogurt.
Gastronomy statistics show that there are more than 50.000 ‘Döner Kebab’ shops around the globe. Furthermore, if a restaurant offers ‘Döner Kebab’ at its menu, there is a big chance to find ‘İskender Kebab’ in that menu also.
Why ‘Döner Kebab’? Because it is the keystone of ‘İskender Kebab’ and you’re not supposed to skip this delicious taste when you stop by a ‘Döner Kebab’ restaurant next time.
The Story of İskender Kebab
The story of ‘Döner Kebab’ starts at the ‘İskender Efendi’ butcher shop in Bursa city of Turkey in 1867. At that time, the lamb was cooked on wood fire as a whole; however, with this cooking method the delicious pieces of the lamb meat are not distributed equally to everyone.
First, he separates the lamb meat from its nerves and bones. Then he places the meats with layers on a vertical stick and he locates that stick with a perpendicular angle to the grill that he designed. This new way of cooking method becomes so famous and it spreads all around Turkey very rapidly.
What Makes İskender Kebab Unique?
Although it is based on ‘Döner Kebab’, ‘İskender Efendi’ offers a unique experience due to its distinct additional ingredients. This special kebab is made by layering delicious doner meat (thinly-cut rotisseried lamb) mixed with tomato sauce over bread, and generously topped with melted butter and yoghurt.
This kebab is different than the classic doner kebab. Iskender kebab is served on a plate. First, the sliced pide bread goes on the plate. Then layers of thinly sliced kebab and finally tomato sauce. It is served with yogurt on the side and they usually pour melted butter on the table.
If you’re curious or even craving for the taste of İskender Kebab, you can visit our restaurant at Sahan Mezopotamian in Auburn, NSW!
Source: Turkish Foodie, Istanbul on Food
