Cağ Kebab

Cağ kebab comes from Oltu in Erzurum province and it is the older form of the stacked-meat kebab: lamb, marinated overnight with onion and pepper, is threaded onto a horizontal spit and turned over a wood fire, and rather than being shaved off into bread it is carved with a long knife directly onto short flat skewers - the cağ - which are handed to the table a few at a time and eaten with lavash, raw onion and tomato, pulled off the skewer with the bread. It is served by the skewer and the counting continues until you stop. The horizontal spit is the point historically: the vertical döner was a nineteenth-century adaptation, and this is what came before. Because the fire is wood and the fat drips into it rather than away, the flavour is different from döner and considerably better. Erzurum has a run of specialist houses, and the dish has spread to good restaurants in the big cities.

What to look for

• The horizontal spit - lamb turning over a wood fire.
• The carving - meat cut straight onto short skewers.
• The counting - skewers brought until you say stop.
• The lavash and onion - the standard accompaniments.

When to go

Year-round; lunch and evening. The specialist houses in Erzurum and Oltu are where it is done properly.

Practical notes

It is billed by the skewer and adds up faster than you expect. Portions are lamb and fat, and it is rich. Versions outside the region vary considerably.

Nearby

Erzurum's Çifte Minareli Medrese is in the centre; Oltu, where the dish comes from, is north-east and known for its stone craft.