Tantuni

Tantuni is finely chopped beef, stir-fried and rolled in thin lavash, a street dish from the southern city of Mersin. It is closely associated with Mersin on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, where it has been sold from small shops for generations, and it is now a common snack in many other Turkish cities. The name refers to the way the meat is cut and cooked, rather than to a grilled kebab.

What it really is

Beef is cut into very small pieces and stir-fried in oil in a wide, hot pan with tomato, pepper and onion. It is seasoned with cumin and finished with chopped parsley. Because the meat is cut so fine, it cooks in minutes and stays soft and moist. The cooked mixture is spooned onto a sheet of thin lavash, rolled up tightly and served while still hot, so the bread picks up some of the juices from the pan.

Tantuni is a stir-fried beef wrap, not a kebab. Unlike grilled meat, the beef is cooked in a pan with vegetables and oil, which gives it a looser, juicier texture inside the bread.

How it's served

• Hot, rolled tightly in lavash and wrapped in paper so it can be eaten by hand.
• With raw onion and chilli on the side, if the kitchen offers them, so guests can add their own.
• As a quick, filling meal eaten standing or on the go, often with a drink.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the protein: finely chopped beef. Say that the meat is stir-fried, not grilled, so guests know what to expect.
• Flag wheat, since the lavash is made from wheat flour. The classic recipe contains no other key allergen from the usual list.
• List the tomato, onion, pepper and parsley as standard, and mention cumin in the seasoning.
• Mark any extra sauce, cheese or yoghurt as a separate choice, and say whether chilli is served on the side or mixed into the filling.