Grilled Turkey Kebabs

Turkey kebabs are the late-20th-century turn in a much older skewer tradition — the şiş kebap technique stabilized in Ottoman Anatolia by the 17th century around lamb. Turkey meat entered the kebab repertoire in modern Turkey and the diaspora as a leaner, cheaper alternative once turkey farming scaled in the 1980s, particularly around Bolu and Manisa.

Turkey trades pork's fat for leaner protein — the marinade has to do double duty. Levantine yogurt-and-baharat marinade for at least 6 hours; without that the meat squeaks on the skewer.

Cubes of turkey thigh — never breast — threaded on metal skewers, charred at the edges, still juicy inside. The marinade is yogurt-based, with garlic, sumac, paprika, a little tomato paste; the lactic acid tenderizes overnight. Served off the skewer onto warm flatbread with raw onion soaked in sumac and a wedge of lemon. Dry, mealy turkey means the breast was used.

Yogurt is the load-bearing trick. Turkey is leaner than lamb and dries out fast on a grill; the yogurt's calcium activates the meat's own enzymes (calpain) to break down protein gently from the outside, while milk fat sits on the surface and slows moisture loss over flame. Acid marinades (lemon-only) toughen turkey instead — the surface seizes before the inside hydrates.