Turkish Beyti Kebab

A single serving of  beyti kebap.

In Turkey, kebabs can be found everywhere. And of these many delicious varieties of kebabs you’ll find everywhere in restaurants big or small, it’s the beyti kebab that is among my favorites and usually stays on my top list.

As we locally call it beyti kebap here in Turkey, this wonderful dish of grilled meat is usually served as a main course in any Turkish restaurant that is really worth returning - again and again. And if you’re probably wondering why it stays on the top list of my favorite kebap dishes, read on and you’ll know why. 

Beyti kebap is actually made of lean ground beef or lamb that is grilled on a skewer. Right after grilling, it is carefully wrapped and rolled in lavas, a special kind of Turkish dough bread. It is then intricately arranged on a platter, cut into slices of about an inch thick, and then it is poured with a special kind of red sauce (usually prepared with tomatoes, olive oil, other seasonings, etc.) that’s sizzling hot. Then it is topped with grated kaşar cheese that slowly melts with the sauce on top of the slices. And for the final touches, it is then garnished with grilled tomato slices, green and red peppers, parsley, and finally served with plain yogurt that’s usually added in the center of the platter. 

Now if that doesn’t seem to sound like a heavy satisfying meal for you, then I should honestly and openly say that a plateful of beyti kebap can definitely make a completely delicious and sumptuous meal for kebab lovers. And that is true with me, because whenever I order a serving of  kapalı beyti kebap from one of my favorite local restaurants that serves this dish so lavishly and with a slightly spicy flavor, I sometimes (if not always) have to skip the soup (unless its winter) and all the other equally tasty appetizers. Well that’s because a plateful of beyti kebap is enough to fill me up… even with an empty stomach (lol)! 

But that’s true, and the best part of this dish is that it usually comes with either bulgur pilavı or just plain pilav or pilaf (that’s how one of my favorite local restaurants in Ankara serve it) together with the dish. So even if ekmek or pide is also served on the table, be sure I would never be able to touch any of it. Oh no, not anymore.  That’s how heavy and filling a plateful of beyti kebap is (well as I've said earlier, that is to me).  But there’s always one thing I usually add to my wonderful serving of beyti kebap – and that’s a bowl of salad. 

So without any doubt, it’s surely is one of the best kebab dishes that anyone who visits Turkey should not miss to eat.  And to kebab lovers out there who wants to try a truly filling and satisfying Turkish dish, I definitely recommend that you should try having a plateful of spicy and wonderful beyti kebap dish on your next order at any Turkish restaurant. J

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