Döner Kebab Had Been Invented

by Iskender Efendi in 1860

Back to the döner issue again...

I remember that I had read a passage from a book by Levon Panos Dabagyan, a Turkish-Armenian historian and journalist. I would like to share it.

The passage is quite enlightening about the origins of döner and who really invented it. I wish that somebody can edit the related Wikipedia articles and add the following information with the reference. (Maybe I can do it later when I have extra time).

The following excerpt is my translation from the pages 181-182 of Dabagyan's book, "The Logbook of Istanbul in the Tunnel of Time." The ISBN of the book is 975-9181-67-3.

BAHCEKAPISI DÖNER VENDOR AND THE BURSA KEBAB

In 1860, Mehmedoglu Iskender Efendi had invented the döner kebab, which was inspired by an ancient Turkish food, "kuzu cevirme" -lamb meat roasted on a spit. At first, his speciality was called "Iskender's döner kebab" and then "döner kebab." The first name was more popular in Bursa, where Iskender Efendi opened his second restaurant after the one in Istanbul, which was called Uc Yildiz Lokantasi (Three Star Restaurant). When Iskender went to Bursa, Kebapci Ihsan Efendi took over the management of the restaurant in Istanbul's Bahcekapi district.

Yavuz Iskenderoglu, who is the grandson of Iskender Efendi, still continues the family business today. The reputation of iskender kebab exceeded the borders of Turkey long ago.

Uc Yildiz Lokantasi had been managed by the Misirlilar, a family who had migrated to rom Egypt. Now they continue their business in Cemberlitas, another old district in Istanbul.

Yogurtlu kebab (kebab with yoghurt) is different than iskender kebab. The people of Istanbul had learned about this kind of kebab, thanks to the services of Ihsan Efendi. It can be made from döner, shish meatballs or mixed meat. Its origin is Damascus.