Tantuni in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it

What tantuni is

Boiled beef or lamb is chopped very fine and finished on a sac, a large domed griddle, with cottonseed oil, a splash of water and salt, tossed constantly until it is hot and slightly crisp at the edges. It is scooped into a thin lavash or a dürüm bread with chopped tomato, sliced onion, parsley, a squeeze of lemon and plenty of sumac and pepper flakes, rolled tight and eaten immediately. It takes two minutes to make and is meant to be eaten within five. In Mersin it is sold from stalls with a glass of şalgam, the fermented turnip drink, which is the traditional pairing.

Tantuni versus dürüm versus kebab

A dürüm is any grilled kebab rolled in bread; tantuni is specifically the griddle-fried chopped meat. The meat is not grilled and not spiced heavily; the flavour comes from the fat, the sumac and the raw onion. It is lighter and quicker than a doner wrap and, done well, more interesting. In the UK the tantuni shops that have opened are usually run by families from Mersin and serve little else.

How to judge it

The meat should be hot, moist and finely chopped, with crisp edges from the griddle, and the bread should be thin and warm. The onion and parsley should be fresh and the sumac generous. A tantuni that is dry or in a thick wrap has lost the point. The best test is watching the cook: the meat should hit the griddle when you order, not sit in a tray.

Where in the UK it is done well

Specialist tantuni shops have opened in Harringay, Enfield, Dalston and central Manchester, mostly since 2018. The ranking below counts restaurants in our directory whose name signals tantuni or Mersin.