The story
İskender kebap takes its name from İskender Efendi, who came from a family of butchers and ran a kebab shop in the Kayhan Bazaar of Bursa, the old Ottoman capital. The family dates his breakthrough to 1867: instead of roasting lamb on a horizontal spit, he stacked boned, trimmed meat on an upright one in front of a charcoal fire and shaved it off in thin slices, an idea many credit as the start of döner. His plate of meat on pide with tomato sauce, yogurt and hot butter poured at the table became Bursa's signature dish. His descendants, the İskenderoğlu family, still run the restaurant and hold the trademark.
Also known as Iskender kebab, Bursa kebabı, İskender döner, Kebapçı İskender.
On the Meridish menu
İskender kebap was the main course on menu No. 9 on October 9, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Thin slices of spit-roasted lamb on bread with tomato sauce, yogurt and sizzling butter. A butcher's son here first roasted the meat on an upright spit in 1867.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
