In my opinion, there are three famous kitchens all around the world. Everyone’s heard of the great Italian cuisine, with their pizza and much loved spaghetti and let’s not forget the Americans, their burgers present in every fast food order, but one of the greatest cuisines in the whole world, has to be the dishes served throughout the whole of Turkey.

Turkish food has become very famous and loved all over the world, mostly due their traditional dishes. My favorite of them is the famous kebab, which includes a variety of meats like beef, goat, chicken and fish – though you will mostly find beef and lamb in your favorite kebab shop! You will rarely find pork kebab, especially on the streets of Istanbul due to religious restrictions – and if you do find some it is often just grilled pork meat in ‘kebab style’.

 

The kebab from ancient times was cooked in forms of skewers, but also as stews, meatballs and other meat dishes that originated in the medieval kitchens of Persia and Turkey. Did you know that the English word kebab originated from the Arabic kabāb, meaning roasted meat? In the end kebab means charcoal, grilled meat – at least to most Western countries! The only difference from an English kebab and a traditional Turkish one is the condiments and spices used. In Turkey they pride themselves on the variety of kebabs available to tourists, with some restaurants even having tens of dishes.

My personal favorite is a lamb kebab I had when visiting Istanbul, it was delicious! It was served with fresh vegetables and a tasteful grilled green pepper (nothing too spicy, I promise!). There were three factors that made this kebab so special, one was the quality of the local charcoal used; another the authentic spices, which came straight from where they were produced nearby and the last, was the fresh meat. These three things really made a difference and gave this kebab its amazing flavors.

Another dish you can order (especially when you are VERY hungry, or with some friends) is a mix of different grilled kebabs. When I ordered this, they bought it all on one big tray with a mix of lamb, chicken and beef kebabs, all in different styles of cooking.

This meat feast was served with fresh pita bread, still warm out the oven, making for a perfect match with the sometimes overbearing flavors of the kebab. The mixed smells of fresh pita and grilled kebab made the whole restaurant smell like heaven. People outside were even looking in the restaurant to see where the smell was coming from!

All in all, if you ask me it’s definitely worth going to Turkey, if not for the beautiful sights and architecture or the rich history, then at least for the food!

I challenge all of you to send in your pictures of the best kebabs from around the world and don’t forget to tag us on social media!