Turkish-Style Lamb 'Kavurma'

The Festival of Eid el-Adha, better known in Turkish as Kurban Bayramı (koor-BAHN’ buy-RAHM’-uh), or the "sacrifice festival," is a great time to enjoy traditional Turkish home cooking at its best. As this time of year is a festival of sacrifice, menus are built around the main attraction. The sacrificial meat.

The most common meats are lamb and beef. Once the animal is put down according to Islamic tradition, the meat and hide are carved up for consumption by the family with the extra donated to charity to feed the hungry.

In a country where many families can rarely afford to eat meat, the distribution of meat during this time is welcomed by all. Although anything but alcohol can be consumed along with the sacrificial meat, there is on one dish that is a constant at every table. That is the meat itself.

What Is Kavurma?

Whether it’s lamb or beef, the first dish to be prepared after the sacrifice is a large pot of kavurma (kah-VOOR’-mah). Kavurma is a simple dish, basically the meat of the animal that’s cooked in its own juices along with some salt.

Meat and fat from the animal are cubed and put directly in a covered pot to start the slow roasting process. After several hours of slow roasting, often over an open flame, the meat breaks down and becomes as soft as cotton.