Soup
Beyran
Origin: Gaziantep, Southeastern Anatolia
Gaziantep breakfast dish of shredded lamb and rice in boiling broth with garlic and red pepper flakes, served in a copper bowl.
Beyran is shredded mutton and rice in a very hot broth. Cooks use the neck and forelegs of a young sheep, with plenty of marrow bones. The meat simmers on low heat for at least 10 to 12 hours, so it is usually cooked overnight. It is then pulled into strands. Plain rice is boiled without salt or fat. Each portion is built in a copper bowl: rice, then meat, then crushed garlic and red pepper flakes. Boiling broth is poured over at the last moment. Lemon is optional.
The dish belongs to Gaziantep. Antep Beyranı has been a registered geographical indication since 2017. The registration says the first beyran shop opened in the Gaziantep bazaar in 1885. Locals eat it for breakfast, and specialist shops serve it early in the morning.
Dietary notes: contains mutton and sheep fat. Garlic and pepper flakes make it spicy and strong.