Street food
Tantuni
Origin: Mersin, Mediterranean
Mersin street food: small cubes of beef fried on a tray with cottonseed oil, red pepper and sumac, wrapped in lavaş with onion and parsley.
Tantuni is beef cooked on a wide tray with a hollow in the middle. Under Mersin's geographical indication, the meat is fatty beef rib, trimmed and cut into small cubes. The cubes are boiled for about 20 minutes, then fried on the tray with cottonseed oil, red pepper powder, sumac and salt. The cook sprinkles water on the hot tray, and the steam keeps the meat warm. The bread is pressed onto the meat to warm it and take up the fat.
Mersin tantunisi was registered as a geographical indication in 2017. It is served as a wrap in lavaş or in a half loaf, with onion, parsley, tomato and sumac. Lemon or bitter orange juice goes on the salad, and ayran or şalgam is the usual drink. It began as a cheap dish of poorer families.
Dietary notes: contains beef and wheat bread (gluten). It is spicy and fried in cottonseed oil. No dairy, except in the yoghurt version.