Adana Kebab and my new found notoriety
In April 2020 I wrote a list of must try Turkish foods for CNN Travel. My aim in putting it together was to let people know there’s more to Turkish cuisine than kebab and baklava. I made a conscious decision not to include a famous dish called Adana Kebab because, well, it’s famous. Everyone knows it. You’ll find it on menus in almost every restaurant everywhere, in any tourist location or elsewhere. Instead I thought about all the Turkish foods I particularly love and also asked all my foreign friends what dishes they recommend their guests try when they come to Turkey
When the list first came out it was well-received, with non-Turks sharing it on their FB feeds, tweeting about it and adding it to their own lists of foods to try on their next trip to Turkey. I thought no more about it until I was on holiday in Kaş in the first week of September. I was tucking into a succulent serve of kaburga (ribs) at Zula Meyhane when I received a message in Turkish from a man saying how upset he was that my list didn’t include Adana Kebab. Puzzled because I’d forgotten all about the list, I put my phone to one side and continued with my meal. It wasn’t until later that night I looked at the message again and by that time of day my Turkish ability is less than good.
The next day it was hot and the sea called. I looked at my phone briefly and saw that a chef called…
