Adana Kebab

Adana kebab is a fiery, hand-minced lamb kebab named for the southeastern Turkish city of Adana, known across the region for its intense chili heat. The meat is chopped by hand with a wide cleaver rather than ground in a machine, mixed with tail fat and red pepper flakes, then molded onto a wide iron skewer and grilled directly over hot charcoal until charred outside and juicy within.

It's traditionally served over flatbread that soaks up the meat's juices, with a heap of sumac-dusted onions, grilled tomatoes and peppers, and a scattering of fresh parsley. A squeeze of lemon and a spoon of yogurt cut through the richness, and the dish is often paired with ayran, Turkey's salted yogurt drink.

Adana kebab takes its name from Adana province, a hot agricultural region in Turkey's Cukurova plain long known for its chili peppers and livestock. The dish's signature heat and hand-chopped texture set it apart from milder kebab styles found elsewhere in Turkey, and Adana's kebab-makers have historically guarded the technique, proper hand-mincing with a cleaver rather than a meat grinder, as a mark of authenticity.

The dish spread nationally through Turkey's kebab-house culture over the 20th century and became one of the country's most exported culinary icons, alongside close cousins like lahmacun and Iskender kebab, which share the same grilled-meat, flatbread-based lineage but originate from different regions and traditions.