Aleppo Kebab

Aleppo is known for its grills, and kebab sits at the centre of them. Minced lamb is worked with the city’s own spice mix, pressed finger by finger along a flat skewer, and turned over charcoal until it is done. The meat does not wait after it is minced; it is made up at the counter and goes straight to the fire. The charcoal does the rest.

What comes on the plate

Beside the kebab there is chopped parsley and sliced onion with sumac scattered over it. Tomato and onion charred on the same fire come alongside, and in most places fried potatoes as well. Bread is not a side dish here; it is what you use to pull the meat off the skewer.

How it differs from cherry kebab

Aleppo’s other signature, kebab karaz, cooks meatballs in sour cherry juice and is sweet and sour. Aleppo kebab is plain grilling: no sauce, only spice and charcoal. The two sit as separate lines on the same menu, and it is worth not confusing them. The difference is the sauce.

Where to eat it

In the grill restaurants of Aleppo, from midday until late evening. Kebab is sold by the skewer, and two skewers usually feed one person. Prices are listed per skewer, so agreeing how many you want when you order keeps the bill simple.