Döner kebab, the taste of Istanbul
We mentioned the dürüm kebab, but the most famous is the döner kebab, where the meat, cooked on a vertical spit, is the filling of a sandwich. Usually, salads, tomatoes and sauces to taste are added. The typical places to taste this specialty in Turkey are the dönerci. The curious thing is that it seems that the döner kebab was born in Germany, in Berlin, in the early 1970s. Who the inventor is it is difficult to say. Two Turkish immigrants compete for the palm: Kadir Nurman and Mahmut Aygun. Both said they had decided to put the meat in a sandwich to make it more practical and easy to carry, more suited to the fast paces of a modern city. What is certain is that kebab, spiced lamb or beef cooked on a rotisserie has a much older origin. The habit of cooking food on a spit is almost lost in the mists of time.
Where to eat the best döner kebab in Istanbul?
Taksim Square is the place to go if you are looking for the perfect kebab, at any time of day or night.
By perfect we mean artfully cooked, tasty and of course low-cost. Mind you, Istanbul is full of great restaurants serving kebabs of all kinds and for all budgets. Many of these restaurants, however, have a big flaw: they are little tourist traps, with inflated prices and strange markups on the menu. Many tend to stuff tons of onion and very little meat into the kebab, which is by no means Turkish.
If you love kebabs and want to really enjoy one like mom did, then there is no doubt: Taksim Square is the place for you!
At the corner of the street leading to Cihangir, there is a veritable kebab parade: about twenty restaurants with an exquisite and no-frills kebab, served in traditional Turkish bread.
The meat cooks well in sight and you can choose from around twenty different kebabs, which generates healthy competition between the owners to offer the best kebab.
A little tip: eat with your eyes. Since they are all really delicious, choose your kebab on sight: go to the one that inspires you the most, preferably well cooked.
