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Kebapçı İskender 1867

The year 1867; the birth of the döner kebab flavor…

The story of the legend of “DÖNER KEBAP” begins in the shop of “İSKENDER Efendi”, son of Mehmet, in the Kayhan district of Bursa. At that time, the lamb was cooked as a whole and parallel to the ground over a wood fire. In this way, the delicious pieces of lamb were not evenly distributed to everyone. “İSKENDER Efendi” started to look for a solution to this situation so that everyone could get the same flavor in the same proportion and equal distribution, and finally, “İSKENDER Efendi”, who comes from a family of meat cooking masters, brings together his expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to create a new flavor blend and cooking method.

He first separates the lamb meat from the nerves and bones, places it layer by layer on a vertical stick, and cooks this blend over charcoal by rotating it in front of a vertically designed barbecue. As a result, döner kebab, one of the important cornerstones of our flavor culture, where everyone enjoys the most delicious pieces of lamb, comes to life. The taste of “DÖNER KEBAP” created by “İSKENDER Efendi” continues to be preserved by the new generations of the “İSKENDEROĞLU” family with the recipe of the first day and continues to be shared with all guests hosted both in “TURKEY” and around the world.

ISKENDER’S FLAVOR SECRET…

Sheep and lambs fed with herbs and fresh thyme grown in Uludağ plateaus in “BURSA” are among the most important details that create the historical flavor of “İSKENDER®”. The flavor blend that comes together from different parts of these meats is served enriched with pita bread, butter, sauce, yogurt, tomatoes and green peppers.

FROM THE CORNER BLUE SHOP TO TODAY…

Founded in the early 1930s, the famous historical “KÖŞE MAVİ DÜKKAN” of “BURSA”, where “CEVAT İSKENDEROĞLU” personally worked for more than seventy years and took care of every detail, has been welcoming three generations of guests with its unchanging taste, original spirit and friendly service understanding for years. “İSKENDER”, which brought “DÖNER KEBAP”, one of the most important tastes of Turkey, to our culinary culture, continues to pass this valuable taste from generation to generation with its 4 restaurants, 3 fast food restaurants and 1 meat processing facility throughout Turkey.

CEVAT İSKENDEROĞLU

“CEVAT İSKENDEROĞLU”, one of the three male children of “İSKENDER Efendi”, together with his older brother Nurettin İskenderoğlu, moved from the first “İSKENDER®” shop opened by their father “İSKENDER Efendi” in “BURSA” Kayhan in the early 1930s to their new shop on Atatürk Street, on the corner next to today’s Tayyare Cultural Center. Unlike the dark wooden shop of their father “İSKENDER Efendi”, the two brothers had this new shop painted in blue and white colors and this is how the story of the famous “CORNER BLUE SHOP” begins. In 1967, after Mr. Nurettin passed away, “CEVAT İSKENDEROĞLU” took over the management of the shop alone and carefully carried the “İSKENDER®” brand until today for more than seventy years. This flavor story of “İSKENDER®” started by “İSKENDER Efendi” has been carried to the present day by the new generation members of the family with the same originality, hospitality and quality understanding as on the first day, by remaining faithful to the recipe for 3 generations.

Court Bakery 1892

This story begins in 1892 with the arrival of Uncle Ali and Uncle Mehmet as 93 muhajir and opening our first bakery in Altıparmak Selimiye Neighborhood. It continues in 1894-95 in a bakery on the west side of the trade high school, opposite the men’s high school on Teachen Street. In the meantime, the Balkan War begins and two uncles go to the army. Both of them fall martyrs and the first generation ends here. The second generation İsmail hakk uncle was born in 1903 and from the age of 10 he was apprenticed to the Greek master Harran in Alnoyacılar bakery. Master Harran was a master who was at the top of his profession at that time. Our uncle learns all the subtleties of the profession from this master and becomes a master in the style of master Harran.

In 1922, master Harran fled to Greece. After the proclamation of the Republic, our uncle opens his first workplace in Izmir Tilkilik and continues the profession that his uncles inherited for a while in Izmir. Then he returns to Bursa and opens a bakery in Gemlik. In 1932, he goes to military service. After returning from the military, the second world war begins. Since mobilization was declared, the production and sale of bakery products were banned. He cannot practice his profession for a while.

Years 1943-1944 The war ends, the bans are lifted and our uncle opens the Court bakery in its present location. We start to become a brand here and the name Mahkeme bakery becomes a sought-after brand. We still continue to operate in the same place.

Upon the aging of our uncle, Mehmet Kırpaçlar, born in 1932, took over the business as the 3rd generation. Mehmet Kırpaçlar from 1961 to 2004

Abdal Simit Fırını 1969

The first bagel in Abdal Simit Bakery was baked in 1969 by Güray ŞAHİN’s father Resul ŞAHİN in a wood fire. The history of Abdal Simit Bakery, which still continues to use wood fire, dates back centuries according to some researches. There are also those who associate the name of the bakery with Abdal Mehmet, one of the dervishes who is said to have helped Osman Gazi before and during the conquest of Bursa. Of course, in those days, this bakery baked loaves of bread, not bagels… A history based on a legend with strong religious stories… The bakery is located in today’s Tuzpazarı neighborhood, right opposite the Abdal Mehmet Tomb.

Production under the name Abdal Simit Bakery started in 1969. Until 1969, it is said that it was operated as a bread bakery, but it is also said that it remained an empty bakery. After 1969, the first bagels started to be produced by Resul ŞAHİN. Bursa’s most beautiful bagels meet with the public in this bakery. After Resul ŞAHİN, his son Güray Şahin continued his father’s profession and operated the abdal bakery. The bakery continues to preserve its splendor as it was in the past. When we look at the current structure of the bakery, we can conclude that it is not a historical place. This is natural, because the area where the bakery was located was demolished in 2007 within the scope of the square arrangement project of Osmangazi Municipality. The square arrangement was completed in 4 years and the bakery started to burn again in 2011…

Raif KAPLANOĞLU also mentions the bakery in his book “Bursa with its Natural and Monumental Works” as follows: “The simit shop next to the Abdal Mehmet Tomb. In the 16th century salnames, the bakery next to the mausoleum is specifically mentioned. The road passing between this bakery and the tomb was the silk road and was very busy.

The bakery, which also has a trademark registration and food production permit, is a place where many local and foreign tourists coming to Bursa from abroad, as well as celebrities, do not pass by without stopping by.

When ‘simit’ is mentioned in Bursa, the conversation eventually turns to Abdal Bakery, one of our historical places that survived as a name.