İskender Kebap

İskender kebap is döner meat over cubed flatbread with tomato sauce, butter and yoghurt. It comes from Bursa in north-west Turkey, and it is the dish that turns döner from street food into something you sit down for.

What it actually is

Thin slices of döner meat — traditionally lamb — are laid over cubes of pide flatbread. Over that goes a hot tomato sauce, and then melted butter, usually poured at the table so guests hear it hit the plate. A spoonful of thick yoghurt sits on the side, with a grilled tomato and green pepper.

The bread underneath is the whole point. It soaks up the butter, the sauce and the juices from the meat, and by the end of the plate it is the best part.

It was created by İskender Efendi in Bursa in the late 19th century. In Turkey the name is a registered trademark held by the founding family, which is why many kitchens list it as Bursa kebabı instead.

How it's served

• On a plate, with a knife and fork — not in bread, not in the hand.
• With the butter poured at the table, which is part of the theatre.
• With yoghurt on the side, to cut the richness.

Writing it on a menu

• Name the meat — lamb, beef or mixed — and say whether it is halal.
• Mention that the butter is poured at the table if you do it that way; it is a reason to choose the dish.
• Think hard before offering it for delivery: the bread goes to mush and the butter congeals. It is a dine-in dish.
• Note the gluten and dairy — both are unavoidable here.