Ingredients
One or multiple lamb (or goat) heads, salt to taste, aluminium foil and/or banana (or cabage) leaves.
Preparation and Cooking
- After washing the head thoroughly, remove any excess hair and debris first and let it soak in cold salty water for 2 hours and change the water 2-3 times during this period.
- Take a large sheet of aluminum foil and place the head in the center. Fold the sides of the foil over the head, and seal it as tight as possible to create a packet. Food-safe leaves can also be choosen for inner wrapping, such as banana leaves.
- Place the wrapped head in Area E or Area C of the wood fired oven and cook it for 2-3 hours at 150-180oC or for longer hours at lower temperatures in slow-cooking mode.
- After cooking the head meat becomes tender and easily separable from the bones. It can be served in two distinct ways cold and warm ideally in soup as mentioned below. Pide is an ideal accompaniying bread in either dish.
Hints and Comments
- Although the head may be considered as an offal meat (sakatat in Turkish), only two parts of lamb meat is not eaten, lung and ear. However, the slow cooked sheep head as well as lamb feet is a highly unique delicatessen in Turkish cusine.
- The head (kelle) once cooked, various sections (such as eyes without iris, chick meat, tounge, brain, cerebellum) are separated and named as “söğüş” to offer various service options:
- Söğüş in Turkish cuisine refers to a type of cold meat dish. Usually it is seasoned with ingredients like onion, garlic, red pepper, vinegar and olive oil and served as a meze (small dish) or appetizer.
- A soup made from lamb’s head and feet named “Kelle Paca Corbasi”, is often consumed as a comfort food during the colder months. In addition, it is served in the early hours of the morning to people who have been up late, for instance, after a night of socializing and drinking.
