Keme Kebab (Truffle Kebab)

Desert truffles are gathered rather than farmed, by people who read cracks in the ground to find them, and their availability swings wildly with the rainfall. In a dry year there is effectively no keme kebabı at all. That unpredictability gives the dish a status in Urfa that has nothing to do with price and everything to do with timing.

The truffles are washed carefully — desert truffles come out of the ground full of grit — peeled if the skin is tough, and halved or quartered depending on size. They are threaded on the skewer alternating with cubes of lamb and a little tail fat, so the fat renders over them as it melts.

The grill time is short and governed by the lamb, not the truffle, which needs only heating through and a little colour. Over-grilled desert truffle dries into something like a cooked chestnut and loses its texture, which is the main thing it contributes: a dense, slightly springy bite quite unlike a mushroom.

Fresh keme is the only authentic option and it is a regional, seasonal product. Outside Urfa in spring, the honest substitutes are large king oyster mushrooms cut into thick rounds, or firm button mushrooms — both give a dense bite, though neither has the earthy, mineral flavour of a desert truffle. Do not use European black or white truffle; it is a completely different ingredient at a completely different price.

The lamb should be shoulder or leg in cubes, lightly salted, with tail fat between. Seasoning stays minimal — the point of the dish is to taste the truffle, and cumin or pepper flakes will bury it immediately.

It comes on flatbread with sumac onions and parsley like any Urfa skewer, but with less fuss around it, because the point is the truffle. In season it is often ordered alongside ciğer or a plain şiş so that a table can compare. Tea afterwards; in Urfa, always tea.