Main dish
Antep lahmacunu
Origin: Gaziantep, Southeastern Anatolia
Thin oval flatbread topped with knife-chopped lamb, garlic, parsley, tomato and pepper, baked for a few minutes in a stone oven.
Antep lahmacunu is a thin, oval flatbread spread with a raw lamb topping and baked in a stone oven. The registered recipe uses lamb from the brisket and ribs. The meat is chopped by hand with a large knife called zırh; a mincing machine is not allowed. Garlic, parsley, fresh pepper, tomato, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes go into the topping. It contains no onion. It bakes for 3–4 minutes at 300–350 °C.
The Gaziantep Commodity Exchange registered the name as a geographical indication on 20 November 2017. The registration cites Evliya Çelebi's 17th-century Seyahatname, which calls it "lahm-i acinli börek". In Gaziantep it is served on special days, at ceremonies and at funerals. In November 2025 it was also registered in the European Union. It comes with greens and lemon, often with ayran.
Dietary notes: lamb, garlic and wheat dough (gluten). Red pepper flakes give some heat. The recipe has no dairy.