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Erzurum dishes tempt hungry diners at Ankara Cağ kebap restaurant
One of Ankara's most popular and fashionable neighborhoods, Çukurambar features a boulevard crowded with many restaurants. The owner of Erzurumlu Cağ Kebab turns out to be, not surprisingly, an Erzurum native. His name is Muammer Kurt, and he has been involved in this business since childhood. Actually, he inherited a bread-making business from his father, and although he continued on this path for several years, he later decided to try serving up the “cağ kebabs” famous in his homeland. Now his restaurant, with space for 250 people, draws people in with its “regional flavors.”
Of course, getting the cağ kebap just right is not all that easy. It needs lots of care and attention in every stage, from the ingredients to the service itself. The type and origin of meat used is very important. At Erzurumlu Cağ Kebab, lamb meat is used. Depending on the season, sheep are bought from Balıkesir, Erzurum and Polatlı-Ayaş (in Ankara). Kurt describes his choice of lamb as being based on “the taste of the meat and its tenderness.”
The meat goes through several stages of preparation before it finally lands on the table in front of hungry diners: the tougher parts are removed, and it is marinated in spices and onions. Everything else that happens to the meat is a trade secret. All Kurt will say is, “Cooks prepare it in their own style and then place it over the flame.” At Erzurumlu Cağ Kebab, both master chefs are from Erzurum, and real oak wood and coal are used in the cooking process.
Kuru fasulye and kadayıf dolması
At Erzurumlu Cağ Kebab, there are two other important regional dishes on offer in addition to the kebaps. These are kuru fasulye and kadayıf dolma. There is no need to describe kuru fasulye, as most readers probably already know this dish. As for kadayıf dolması, these are wrapped in Erzurum, and brought fresh each day to Ankara, where they are cooked and have a special sauce put over them. These dolma are stuffed with walnuts and served with fresh cream.
Two typical samplings of after-dinner treats served up at an Erzurum table are the irresistable pair of mulberries and walnuts. And during summer months, of course, fruit platters make an appearance. But can we forget tea? There is that special and famous Black Sea tea, served up in slightly larger-than-normal tea glasses, known as Erzurum bardağı.
But to go back to the origins of cağ kebab for a moment, Kurt asserts that this delicious dish first came from the plateaus of Erzurum. Shepherds and wealthier denizens of the region alike would slaughter a lamb and roast the lamb meat over a wood fire, resulting in a delicious meal. Also known as “Ahbap kebabı” or “ağa kebabı,” this dish's popularity has long since spread outside Erzurum.
How should cağ kebabı be eaten?
Many suggest that cağ kebab is best eaten when the meat itself is slightly rare and should be eaten without forks, instead bringing the meat to your mouth straight off the stick. Experts also say that too much spice and sauce are not recommended, as they mask the savory flavor of the meat itself.
At Erzurumlu Cağ Kebab, there is a wide-ranging customer profile, including politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, newspaper journalists, soccer players and even diplomats. Interestingly, it is a favorite spot for employees and bureaucrats from the South Korean Embassy. Kurt tells us that his regional cağ kebab is most popular on Valentine's Day! We are surprised by this, but he tells us, “After all, it's the lightest of all the kebabs.”
Kurt also makes a note to those who protest that they are on diets, saying: “The level of cholesterol in lamb meat is the same as in chicken. This is what scientific data tells us. In fact, lamb meat is really not red meat.”
It does in fact appear that the regional flavors of Erzurum plateaus are on their way to becoming international delicacies!
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