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Flavors · Erzurum

Cağ kebabı

Lamb meat seasoned with onion, salt and black pepper, stacked on a horizontal spit that turns before a wood fire and served on skewers (cağ): the kebab of Erzurum and Oltu.

Traditional dish from Erzurum

Also known as: Oltu cağ kebabı, Erzurum cağ kebabı, cag kebabi, Oltu cag kebabi

Updated October 2026

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Cağ kebabı — Erzurum, Turkey — Cağ kebabı

Cağ kebabı — Erzurum, Turkey

Cağ kebabı is the kebab of eastern Turkey that turns while lying down. The meat is lamb, from sheep raised in the Oltu district and the Erzurum plateaus. According to the registered recipe, it is cut into slices, salted and left to rest for a day. Then it is mixed with onion and black pepper and stacked on a large horizontal spit that rotates before a wood fire.

When the outer layer is ready, the master slices it and threads the slices onto a flat skewer, the "cağ", which gives the dish its name. The kebab reaches the table this way, skewer by skewer, with lavaş, onion and salad. It can also be served sliced on a plate.

The name "Oltu Cağ Kebabı" has a geographical indication registration (No. 127), requested by the Oltu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, registered in 2010, with protection since 2007. The file was published in the Official Gazette in 2009. The registration requires that nothing beyond what is specified in the recipe be added to the meat.

The origin is disputed between the districts of Oltu and Tortum, both in Erzurum, and also with nearby Artvin province, where the dish is common. One line of research links cağ kebabı to the Kipchaks, a medieval Turkic people. In Erzurum, the city of Seljuk madrasas and the Palandöken ski resort, cağ kebabı is the dish most closely associated with the city.

Where it comes from

Erzurum
The geographical indication is for Oltu, a district of Erzurum; the dish is the one most associated with the province.

Ingredients

Lamb meat, onion, salt and black pepper.

How it is eaten

On skewers (cağ), one at a time, with lavaş, onion and salad; or sliced on the plate.

When it is eaten

All year round.

Your questions

Questions about Cağ kebabı

What does cağ mean?

It is the name of the flat skewer on which the slices of meat are served. The kebab rotates on a large horizontal spit and, when the meat is ready, it is cut and transferred to the skewers.

Is cağ kebabı from Erzurum or Artvin?

The geographical indication registration is for Oltu, a district of Erzurum. Tortum, also in Erzurum, and the neighboring province of Artvin dispute the origin, and the dish is common in both provinces.

What seasonings does cağ kebabı use?

Very little: onion, salt and black pepper, mixed into the meat after it rests. The flavor comes from the lamb and the wood fire.

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