Adana kebab

Named after the city of Adana in the south-east of Turkey, the Adana kebab is the gold standard for minced meat kebabs in Turkey.

Though I say minced meat kebab, real Adana kebab is never made with meat that’s been through a grinder. Instead, it’s hand chopped from chunks of meat and tail fat from fat-tailed sheep until just fine enough to cling to a skewer, but coarse enough to retain texture. The knife used for the purpose is called zırh, and watching the usta (“master”) at work with the knife and meat is a joy to behold.

See the knife I’m holding here? That’s a relatively small zırh knife, used for hand chopping meat in a fast rolling motion.

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