At the dawn of the 20th century, Adana stood where the abundance of the Çukurova plain met the Mediterranean. The Kazancılar Bazaar at the city's heart hummed all day with the rhythmic ring of coppersmiths' hammers. Through those sounds rose another aroma: that of finely cut male lamb meeting charcoal embers, parsley and garlic.
In1908, in a small hearth on that street, the first generation of our family began cooking the early versions of what the world now knows asAdana kebab. From that day to this, one principle has not changed:male lamb, blade-minced, charcoal embers.
Why male lamb?
The signature of Adana kebab comes from the character of its meat. Male lamb is denser, less fatty and more aromatic than female. Our masters choose specific cuts from a lamb slaughtered that very morning; the fat-to-mince ratio is known by heart. This selection is the first condition that makes possible the famous sizzle—the sound it gives off as it cooks over coals.
The secret of the zırh
Putting meat through a machine is, for an Adana master, an unforgivable sin. The machine's blades crush the grain; the meat "weeps". Thezırh, a two-bladed knife, in the rhythm of the master's hand does not cut the meat—it divides it. The grain is preserved; spices distribute evenly. The result is a texture that grips the skewer, holds together over coals, and dissolves on the palate.
Embers, not flame
The third principle concerns the grill: kebab is cooked byembers, not flame. Flame sears the outside and leaves the inside raw. Embers distribute heat slowly and evenly; the juices stay within, the exterior turns golden. This is why our grill burns onlyoak charcoal—never mineral or gas.
Four generations, one recipe
Today, as the fourth generation, we continue the same recipe — in our historic venue beneath the Büyüksaat clocktower and at our modern Özal branch on Çukurova's main artery. When you take a bite of Adana kebab, you don't merely eat a dish; you become part of a117-year-old tradition.
"For a kebab to be good, three things are needed: good meat, good zırh, good fire. The fourth is time — and that we have."
