Fledge
Turkey

İskender Kebap

Bursa; the kebab as a plated dish

İskender kebap with tomato sauce and yogurt. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

İskender is döner elevated to a plate: thin slices of lamb döner laid over cubed pide, covered in hot tomato sauce and melted sheep's butter, with strained yogurt on the side. It was created by İskender Efendi in Bursa in the 19th century.

The butter is poured tableside, sizzling. The yogurt cools the heat. In Bursa, the historic Kebapçı İskender restaurants still serve the family recipe.

Key ingredients

  • Döner lamb, sliced thin
  • Pide bread cubes
  • Tomato sauce, melted sheep's butter, strained yogurt

Where to try it

  • Bursa: the historic Kebapçı İskender restaurants.
  • Kebab restaurants across Turkey.
  • Eaten with şıra (grape juice) in Bursa tradition.