What I learned about kebab or kebap

I admit I didn’t know much about kebabs/kebaps before. What we get in Italy when we ask for a kebab is simply a pita roll with meat, vegetables and a choice of sauces in it. Period.

I knew there are actually different varieties of this specialty, and I also knew that going to Turkey would clarify some doubts! 

First of all, I thought that sometimes it was spelled with a final P because Arabs don’t have the B letter so it was some kind of mistake. And… the mistake was all mine! Because as a Turkish friend explained, as per the Turkish language’s phonetics there can’t be a B at the end of a word, so they use a P instead. Sorry Arabs, I blamed you for this and I was wrong, hehe.

The second thing I learned is the distinction between the three different kinds of Turkish kebap:

Doner Kebap

Just plain sliced meat. Literally it means “rotating kebap”.

Döner Kebab

Dürüm  Kebap 

It is the roll kind of kebap. The sliced meat comes in a rolled pita bread together with vegetables and sauces. 

Dürüm kebap – by Cyclonebill on Wikimedia Commons

Iskander Kebap

I never tried this before, but I had the chance on my first day in Istanbul. When you order and Iskander kebap, you get sliced meat with tomato sauce and peppers, and the bread is below the meat so that it absorbes the sauce and you can eat all together. 

Iskander Kebap

Do you like kebab/kebap? Which one is your favorite? What other kinds of kebap do you know? I hope this didn’t make you hungry…