Types of Turkish Kebab: A Complete Guide from Adana to İskender

Quick answer: The best-known Turkish kebabs are Adana (spicy hand-minced lamb on a flat skewer), Urfa (the same but mild), İskender (döner slices on bread with tomato sauce, butter and yogurt), Beyti (minced meat wrapped in lavash), Ali Nazik (lamb over smoky aubergine yogurt), şiş and çöp şiş (cubed meat on skewers), and tantuni (chopped meat stir-fried and wrapped). In Cyprus, şeftali kebabı (sheftalia) is the local favourite.

Key takeaways

• "Kebab" in Turkish covers grilled, roasted, pan-cooked and even oven-baked meat dishes, not only skewers.
• Adana and Urfa are nearly the same recipe. Adana is hot with chilli, Urfa is mild.
• Several famous kebabs are named after people (İskender, Beyti) or places (Adana, Urfa, Tantuni from Mersin).
• Good kebab depends on fat, heat control and resting the meat as much as on spices.

Turkish kebab glossary

The minced kebabs

Adana kebab

Adana is the best-known Turkish minced kebab. Lamb (sometimes mixed with beef) is chopped by hand with a curved blade called a zırh, mixed with tail fat, salt and hot red pepper, then pressed by hand onto wide, flat iron skewers so it doesn't slip. It's grilled fast over hot charcoal. Try our Adana kebab recipe, and learn the skewering technique in our Adana and Urfa kebab masterclass.

Urfa kebab

Urfa kebab uses the same method but no hot pepper. You taste the meat and fat first, and diners add smoky isot pepper at the table if they want heat.

Beyti

Beyti is named after Istanbul restaurateur Beyti Güler. His original dish used lamb fillet wrapped in fat. The version most restaurants serve today is minced meat wrapped in lavash, sliced, and topped with tomato sauce and yogurt (history). Make our beyti recipe.

The sliced and layered kebabs

İskender kebab

İskender was created in Bursa in the late 19th century by İskender Efendi, whose family still runs restaurants there (history). Thin slices of döner are laid over cubes of pide, covered with tomato sauce, then finished at the table with foaming butter, with yogurt on the side. See our İskender kebab recipe. Bursa also gave its name to pideli köfte, meatballs served in a similar style.

Ali Nazik

This Gaziantep speciality serves grilled or sautéed lamb on a smoky purée of charred aubergine mixed with garlic yogurt. Try our Ali Nazik recipe.

The skewered and griddled kebabs

Şiş and çöp şiş

Şiş simply means skewer: cubes of marinated lamb or chicken grilled over charcoal. Çöp şiş ("stick skewer") uses tiny cubes on thin wooden sticks and cooks in minutes. It's usually eaten in rounds with thin flatbread and onions. See our çöp şiş recipe and our marinade guide for tender meat.

Tantuni

Tantuni is a street food from Mersin: finely chopped meat is steamed and stir-fried on a domed sac griddle, then wrapped in lavash with tomato and parsley. Our Mersin-style chicken tantuni is a quick weeknight version.

Sac kavurma

Lamb cubes are seared quickly on a hot sac with peppers and onions. It's a village and picnic favourite. Here's our sac kavurma recipe.

The Cypriot kebab: şeftali (sheftalia)

Cyprus has its own kebab. Şeftali kebabı are small sausages of seasoned minced meat, onion and parsley wrapped in caul fat. The fat bastes the meat as it grills and then mostly melts away. Turkish Cypriots traditionally use lamb and Greek Cypriots use pork. Cook it with our sheftalia recipe and read the full şeftali kebabı guide.

Chef's tip: For minced kebabs, keep the meat mixture ice-cold and knead it for a few minutes until it's sticky. The fat stays in, the kebab holds on the skewer and you get juicy, springy meat instead of crumbly patties.

What to serve with Turkish kebabs

• Thin lavash bread to wrap and catch the juices
• Sumac onions with parsley
• Grilled long peppers and tomatoes
• Acılı ezme, a spicy chopped tomato and pepper relish
• Cacık or ayran to cool the heat

How to cook kebabs at home without a charcoal grill

A charcoal mangal is ideal, but you can still get good results indoors:

• Under the grill (broiler): Preheat for 10 minutes. Put the skewers on a rack over a tray so the fat drips away, 5 to 7 cm below the heat. Turn them every 2 to 3 minutes.
• Ridged grill pan: Heat it until it's smoking, brush the meat (not the pan) with oil and don't move the kebab for the first 2 minutes so it releases cleanly.
• Flat skewers: Wide metal skewers stop minced meat from spinning and falling off. Wet your hands with cold water when shaping.
• Smoky flavour: Char a few peppers and tomatoes over a gas flame, or add a pinch of smoked paprika or isot to the meat.
• Rest: Rest kebabs for 2 to 3 minutes on warm lavash. The bread soaks up the juices, and in Turkey that's often considered the best part.

How long to cook depends on the thickness. Minced Adana-style kebabs usually take 6 to 8 minutes in total. Cubed lamb or chicken şiş takes 8 to 12 minutes. Chicken should reach 75 °C (165 °F) in the centre.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Adana and Urfa kebab?

They're made the same way, from hand-minced lamb with tail fat on flat skewers. Adana is spicy with hot red pepper. Urfa is mild, and diners add smoky isot pepper at the table.

What is the most popular kebab in Turkey?

Döner, Adana, İskender and şiş are the most widely eaten across Turkey. Many cities also have a local speciality they're proud of.

What is İskender kebab?

İskender is thinly sliced döner meat on cubes of pide bread, topped with tomato sauce and hot butter and served with yogurt. It was created in Bursa in the late 19th century.

Is şeftali kebabı Turkish or Cypriot?

Şeftali kebabı (sheftalia) is Cypriot. Both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots eat it, wrapped in caul fat and grilled over charcoal.

Sources

• İskender kebap: origin in Bursa
• Kebapçı İskender: family history
• Beyti kebab: Beyti Güler and the original dish

Written by the House Chef Cyprus editorial team, Cyprus. Last reviewed: September 2026.