TAKE AWAY MY TAKEAWAY
PROGRAMME 8: ISTANBUL
BACKGROUND
The experts
Jamie was mentored by Oguzhan Iskenderoglu (Oz), and his cooking was judged by Oz's father, kebab expert Yavuz Idkenderoglu, head of the Iskender Kebab restaurant chain.
History of the doner kebab
The original doner kebab comes from Oltu, a small town in Turkey. The doner that we know today, served with sauce and shredded lettuce in a pitta, like a kind of meat sandwich, was created in the 1970s in Germany, where a doner is still the favourite takeaway.
The programme features the Iskender kebab, invented in Bursa in north-west Turkey in the late 19th century by Oz's ancestor, Iskender Efendi. It differs from a traditional doner kebab, because the slices of lamb are thinner and wider, are cut vertically, and are served with melted butter, tomato sauce and yogurt poured over.
The dish is the trademark of the Iskender Restaurant chain, owned by Oz's father Iskender Iskenderoglu, and is also sold throughout Turkey. The meat used in an Iskender kebab is better quality and less fatty than typical doner meat, although generous amounts of melted butter poured over the dish mean that it's not exactly a low-fat option.
The first kebab shops in the UK opened in the 1960s, and now there are over 20,000 shops countrywide. The National Association of Kebab Shops was formed to try and improve the reputation of the kebab, which has often been accused of containing sub-standard ingredients. Because kebab shop owners create their own recipes, it's impossible to know exactly what's gone into your takeaway. Takeaway kebabs are typically high in salt and fat, and a lot less healthy than the original dish.
The doner kebab is a very popular takeaway in Europe, especially Germany. In the UK, doners are often eaten on the street and are part of the Friday/Saturday late-night eating culture. You can choose toppings from different strengths of chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, mint or creamy garlic sauce. Many kebab shops are run by Cypriot owners, who use different spices from those found in the original Turkish version.