History of Turkish Kebab

The typical Turkish meat item is Kebab. The popular varieties of kebabs are the `sis` kebabs and the `doner` kebabs. Sis kebabs are grilled pieces of skewered meat. Doner kebabs are made by stacking alternate layers of ground meat and sliced leg of lamb and grilling them over a slow fire. The fine taste of kebabs really depends on the breed of cattle or sheep rather than the chef or the recipe.

According to the dictionary of Turkish Language Institution, kebab means meat that is cooked without water directly in fire or inside a pot. Whereas, the definition of kebab as all of us understand today includes tomato and pepper. The word of kebab originates from the word “kabuba” meaning barbecuing in Sumerian language.

According to some sources, kebab is the general definition given to the Arabian originated meat dishes.

In these stories, it is told that kebab was brought to Anatolia by fellahs migrating to Adana from Arabian countries for the purpose of cultivating. In some history books, it is written that Persian king Darius displayed his power to his soldiers by fitting grilled meat on a thick skewer.

In human history, catering culture has been formed by multi stage transitions and kebab has developed in parallel with that. In the early migrant societies, it is seen that people were collectors and especially women tried to live by the herbs they collect from the nature until people learn to hunt. Men began to hunt when their physical power increased and they ate the meat they hunted in a raw state and afterwards by the discovery of fire and trial-and-error method, they ate the meat after cooking.

When human communities began to sacrifice animals for their gods according to their beliefs, the meat eating and cooking techniques began to advance. The technique of meat pounding and cutting into small pieces resulting in minced meat as we call today began to develop in that period. It is not false to say that kebab cooking technique emerged in that period. To summarize, kebab taking place in catering culture today was begun by the discovery of fire in human history and developed by the usage of spices and increase of meat cooking techniques. Kebabs based on minced meat and kebabs with vegetables was born in those periods and enhanced to take their present form. The presence of spices taking place in kebab is much older.

Possibly one of the most international ubiquitous Turkish dish is the kebab. These are a great example of both variety and simplicity in action. They are made from either plain or marinated meat which is then either stewed or grilled – most commonly grilled in the West. In Turkey, each district in the country has its own special recipe.

The ‘Sis kebab’, which is famous the world-around is made from pieces of lamb threaded on a skewer and griller over charcoal, then there’s the ‘Doner kebab’ which is made from a roll of lamb on a vertical skewer turning parallel to a hot grill, and these are just two of the most popular versions.

Kaynak / Source
- M. Zeki Oral - Selçuk Devri Yemekleri ve Ekmekleri  / Foods and Breads of the Selçuk (Seljuk) Period
- Phil. Dr. Hamit Zübeyır Koşay -  Eski Türkler’in Ana Yurdu ve Yemek Adları / The Homeland of the Old Turks and Names of Their Foods
- Prof. Dr. Bahaeddin Ögel - Türk Mutfağının Gelişmesi ve Türk Tarihi / The Development of Turkish Cuisine and Historical Turkish Traditions 
- Musa Dağdeviren ( Yemek Uzmanı, Çiya Kebap ve Lokantalarının sahibi./ Food specialist and owner of Çiya Restaurant ) - Kebap Kültüründe Bölgesel Farklılıklar / Regional Differences in Kebab Cuisine
- Sahan
- Berfend BER