The Concise Guide to Turkish Kebabs

The word "kebap" in Turkish ("kebab" in English) means any dish comprised of either chopped, sliced (as in a doner kebab), or minced meat. More often than not the word will indicate a seasoned ground lamb mixture molded around a skewer, grilled over coals or a flame. But it can also denote pieces of meat stewed in a casserole. This slide show provides information about the most common varieties of this type of dish that you'll find on restaurant menus in Istanbul.

Urfa Kebap is, perhaps, the most common of the kebabs you'll find in Istanbul restaurants. It derives from the Urfa region of Turkey, is mildly seasoned, although additional spices might be served accompanying the kebab.

The Adana Kebab is similar to the Urfa kebab with the addition of ground red pepper to make the minced meat far more picante.

Cube-like slices of tubular aubergine (eggplant) is skewered with alternating discs of minced lamb and fire-roasted on the skewer.

Torn or sliced and buttered pieces of bread (usually pieces of flatbread) are topped with marinated grilled lamb, yogurt and a seasoned tomato sauce.

Confused? The dish which you will frequently see as Yogurt Kebab on Istanbul restaurant menus was originally created by a chef named Iskender Efendi and became one of the most recognized plates in urban Turkey. The name is trademark protected and therefore "law-abiding" restaurants now use the name Yogurt Kebab to avoid having to pay the licensing fee. But they are for all practical purposes the same.

For a Fistikli Kebab, minced meat is combined with finely chopped pistachios and grilled on a skewer.

Skewered and grilled minced-meat kebabs are wrapped in lavash (thin flatbread) then cut into slices and served off the skewer, slathered in yogurt and tomato puree.

This is the probably the kebab most foreigners are familiar with which is skewered cubes of meat (usually lamb) grilled on an open flame. It's known as "souvlaki" in Greek cuisine and is prepared in the same way as the iconic Mexican dish, "tacos al pastor".

The in the prior slide typically uses a prime, somewhat lean cut of the lamb loin. In contrast, the Çöp Şiş typically uses the fat and flesh trimmed from the meat used on the Şiş Kebap. It's fattier and juicier and might be more likely favored by those that prefer a ribeye over tenderloin steak. The pieces are smaller and grilled on a smaller wooden skewer.

The most iconic and prevalent street food in Istanbul is the Döner Kebap, featuring slabs of marinated meat (typically lamb or chicken in Istanbul) stacked onto a vertical rotisserie and grilled. The rendering fat drips down the vertical stack flavoring all the slabs of meat below as it slowly drips. Shards of meat are than shaved off the rotisserie in a vertical slice.

The sliced meat can either be served on a plate with garnishes or more often, stuffed into a pita or sliced bun to create a sandwich.