Adana kebaps
Adana kebap (also known as Kıyma kebap) is a long, hand-minced meat kebab mounted on a wide iron skewer and grilled on an open mangal filled with burning charcoal.
The culinary item is named after Adana, the fifth largest city of Turkey and was originally known as the "Kıyma kebabı".
Kebabs are usually made out of ground lamb meat and tail fat, though there are many regional variations. According to many authors, this kebab was born out of a fusion of Turkish and Arab cultures. Birecik, once an important locality in the Eyalet of Aleppo, is said to be the creator of this kind of kebab. The version prepared and consumed today in the province of Adana also has a history rooted in the modern Turkish culture.
The kebab is commonly served on a plate, as a "Porsiyon", or wrapped in flatbread, as a "Dürüm".
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Porsiyon - The kebab is served over the flatbread used to catch the drippings. It is accompanied by roasted tomatoes, green or red peppers and julienned onions with parsley and sumac. Other typical mezes in Adana-Mersin served with the kebab include red pepper ezme with pomegranate molasses, fresh mint and tarragon leaves, braised shallot hearts with olive oil and pomegranate molasses, pickled small green chili peppers.
Around Mersin, green shallot stems with slices of bitter orange, citron, lime and lemon are also served.
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Many restaurants around Adana will also bring hot hummus with butter topped with pastırma on the side.
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The way to eat "Porsiyon" is to skin and crush the charred tomatoes and peppers into a paste, to put them in a piece of flatbread with part of the kebab, topped by a generous pinch of the onion-sumac-parsley mixture, and to wrap the whole thing into a few small thick dürüms.
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Ayran and Şalgam are two staple beverages consumed with kebab in daytime. On hot summer evenings, ice-cold Rakı alongside Şalgam is often preferred.
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Dürüm - The browned kebab is taken out of the mangal, removed from the skewer and placed on top of a large loaf of flatbread (mostly lavaÅŸ or tırnak pidesi), topped by a pinch of julienned onions, small diced tomatoes, some parsley, then sprinkled with a little salt, cumin and sumac and finally wrapped into a long roll. Ayran is more commonly consumed with dürüm, compared to the Åžalgam.
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Adana is a very easy dish to find in Kalkan and also across the country. All kebap / ocakbaşı style restaurants will serve it. It is usually on the spicy side. If you prefer your food to be less spicy, you may consider opting for a different regional variety that is similar but more tame : Urfa Kebap