Tasting Notes
Bursa is the home of İskender kebab, and the family behind Kebapçı İskender traces the dish to İskender Efendi in 1867. This branch on Ünlü Street in the Kayıhan area keeps the old wooden shopfront and interior, with dark timber, brass fittings and compact tables.
One dish, done one way
The menu is short on purpose. Lamb is cooked on a vertical spit and carved into thin slices, then laid over pieces of pide soaked in the meat juices. A tomato sauce goes on top and a scoop of thick yoghurt sits on the side. The final step happens at the table: hot melted butter is poured over the plate. Portions come in a standard size, one and a half, or a child's portion, with the approximate weight of raw meat given on the menu.
Dessert and drink
The traditional pairing is şıra, a lightly fermented grape juice, and the only dessert is Mustafakemalpaşa peynir tatlısı, small cheese dumplings in syrup from a town near Bursa, served with kaymak and walnuts. Tea is usually offered after the meal.
“Eat the İskender as soon as the butter is poured, while it is still sizzling, and drink a glass of şıra with it.”
LR Kitchen — field note