Tantuni is one of the most popular street foods of Southern Turkey, particularly the city of Mersin. You may think of it as a really tasty and easy lamb sandwich or wrap. Sharing step by step and video below—make sure you try it when you’re craving a tasty wrap!
I’m honored to partner with the American Lamb Board to bring you yet another delicious and unique lamb recipe. All opinions are my own.
It’s no secret we LOVE Lamb! And we’ve been spreading the love for years so you can enjoy some good hearty lamb recipes too!
The beauty about cooking lamb is that you can slow roast large cuts to serve at a holiday dinner, or use simpler cuts for everyday dinners.
And even more, you can make quick easy street food recipes like this Tantuni recipe. It’s great on the go, for lunchboxes, tailgating, large crowds, potlucks, outdoor gatherings and more!
What is Tantuni?
Tantuni is a popular street food along the Mediterranean city of Mersin in Turkey. Mersin lies close to Adana (a city popular for the Adana Kebab—another succulent lamb dish!) ,and right on the Mediterranean with a large port.
As you walk along the city, you smell the lamb cooking. A heartwarming feeling like no other! You see locals wrapping Tantuni, tourists and locals enjoying their wraps as they go about their lives.
Classically, Tantuni is made with lamb meat. You may however recently notice places that make it with beef or a mix of both lamb and beef. Also, classically a really thin lavash like bread is used as a wrap or sandwich, but you may also find thicker sandwich like breads.
To have really tender pieces of meat in the sandwich, depending on the cut of lamb you use, some will boil the meat first. Once tender, the meat is diced and cooked in a skillet with spices, lamb fat and butter.
Since we’re lucky to enjoy fresh local American lamb, we’ve been making tender Tantuni without the boiling or fuss.
Why American Lamb
When buying lamb for any of the lamb recipes you make from our website, we can’t urge you enough to buy American Lamb.
Just ask the butcher or meat department before buying, as you may often find some cuts available while others not. Always always ask to be sure.
Here’s why we LOVE it:
- It’s the freshest lamb you can possibly get!
- Since it’s local, you’ll be supporting many local hard working farmers and ranchers. And at the same time, you’ll get lamb that hasn’t traveled thousands of miles to be on your table.
- We love how tasty it is, and find that it has a sweet buttery taste compared to other types.
- American lamb is grain finished, a practice that yields that unique mellow flavor and plenty of marbling on the meat.
- It doesn’t taste “gamey” like you may be expecting. This makes it ideal to use in non-traditional lamb recipes such as Fajitas , Tacos , Cheesesteak sliders and more!
- After a lot of researching, visiting local farms and speaking with ranchers, it was so clear how American lamb is raised with high standards.
Tantuni Ingredients
Street foods are usually some of the simplest recipes to make, and the ones you crave the most!
- Lamb. Of course our hero and star ingredient is American Lamb. You’ll need a boneless cut here, so a deboned leg is great. If you’re able to find lamb sirloin (similar to what I used with my Lamb Gyros , it works great too!
Lamb shoulder deboned may be slightly too muscular for this recipe, and other cuts may be better enjoyed bone-in. - Spice Blend. A really simple blend of Turkish pepper (called pul biber) , cumin, nutmeg and chili peppers. You can substitute the Turkish spice by paprika and chili flakes if you’re not able to find it.
- Salt and Pepper of course.
- The Sumac Onion Salad. An easy and classic to lots of Turkish and Middle Eastern grills made of simple ingredients. Onions, Parsley, Sumac and Salt.
- Bread. I’ve been lucky to find the lavash bread locally, however you can use any really thin flatbread (even tortilla), or a sandwich bread.
- Diced Tomatoes. A classic addition to the Tantuni recipe.
How to Make Tantuni
Originally, all street vendors will have a special skillet for Tantuni which is sort of like a wok in the center but not as deep. However we will make it today at home in a heavy duty cast iron as it works best.
1.Finely dice the lamb, removing any excess fat as needed. The meat needs to be really finely diced here as we’re not pre boiling it, we’re cooking it all in the skillet.
2. Start the cooking by adding lamb fat and butter. Quick note here—lamb fat is like GOLD! Think of it as bacon. Use it whenever and wherever you want to add a boost of flavor (even in recipes that don’t have actual lamb). Exactly as if you use bacon.
My grandma made us eggs using lamb fat, and OMG they were spectacular! She always kept a bag in the freezer where she would grind it and add it to ground lamb before cooking, or sauté it to add flavor to many dishes.
3. Add in the finely diced lamb and spices to the skillet over high heat.
4. Cook the lamb, stirring continuously until it has cooked. Don’t evaporate all the liquid from the pan, as this will keep the lamb juicy. Often, if the lamb dries out, you’ll find that water (or stock) is added to the lamb. So keep an eye on it.
5. Now gather your bread and diced tomatoes. Also, prepare the onion sumac salad by mixing all ingredients together in a bowl.
Assembling Tantuni
- Here’s a trick to maximize flavor on the Tantuni recipe (and another reason to keep some liquid in your skillet), press the bread firmly on the lamb. Allow the bread to soak up some liquid and flavor from the lamb.
- At that point you’ll have a natural sauce on the bread. This recipe doesn’t involve any extra sauces like Tahini or Garlic Sauce or anything. Just a simple lamb sauce and spice soak.
- Then place the bread on a cutting board, and layer the filling as follows. Lamb mixture, onion mixture and diced tomatoes.
- Roll up the Tantuni while leaving the sides. This is not a wrap, so you don’t need to seal the sides, rather a simple roll.
- Cut the Tantuni in half and enjoy it right away! SO GOOD!
Tantuni Recipe Tips
- Start by using American Lamb.
- A boneless cut such as a deboned leg of lamb or lamb sirloin work best.
- If you can’t find Turkish pul biber spice, use a blend of paprika and chili flakes.
- Cook the lamb very quickly over high heat so it doesn’t become rubbery or tough.
- If you feel the liquid has absorbed, add in 1/4 cup of water or stock to the lamb for a juicier meat.
- Lamb fat and butter are a great source of flavor here. Classically since Mersin is a city famous for cottonseed oil production, this recipe is made using cottonseed oil.
- While you can add sauces or salad ingredients to the Tantuni here as most wraps would have, we strongly urge you to try it the authentic way first.
- As simple and humble as this combination is, it truly is magical.
- Classically Tantuni is served whole and twisted or cut in half. You may also find it being served cut up into smaller slices like bite size pieces, but it’s not the traditional way.
Give this street food classic a try and let us know how you enjoy it! Below are some of our favorite Lamb Recipes to make!
Easy Lamb Recipes
Easy Stir Fry Recipe with Lamb and Veggies
Tantuni
Tantuni is one of the most popular street foods of Southern Turkey, particularly the city of Mersin. You may think of it as a really tasty and easy lamb sandwich or wrap. Sharing step by step and video below—make sure you try it when you’re craving a tasty wrap!
Ingredients
Lamb:
- 2 pounds American Leg of Lamb deboned, and cut finely into small cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons Paprika
- 2 Tablespoons Chili flakes
- 2 Tablespoons Pul Biber or add extra paprika and chili flakes
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon lamb fat
Onion Salad
- 2 white onions finely diced (or 1 large one)
- 1 cup parsley minced
- 2 Tablespoons sumac
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt kosher or Mediterranean salt
Assemble:
- 6 lavash breads
- 2 cups diced tomatoes
- Extra sumac for sprinkling
Instructions
-
Start by trimming off any excess fat from your lamb. Make sure not to discard that fat as it can be used in many other recipes to add flavor.
-
Cut the meat into small dices about 1/4 inch size dice. You need the meat to be small as it will cook in no time by sautéing in a skillet.
-
Preheat a heavy duty skillet over high heat, we used cast iron. And add the butter and chunks of lamb fat.
-
Cook until the fat releases all its flavors and has melted into the skillet.
-
Add in the lamb along with the spices and mix well.
-
Keep stirring until the lamb is no longer pink on the outside, and has absorbed the spices well. This takes anywhere between 12-15 minutes. USDA recommends lamb reach an internal temperature of 145F with a 3 minute rest.
-
If you feel the lamb has dried out, and no more liquid is in the pan, add in 1/4 cup of water or stock and let it simmer for 2 minutes before turning off the heat.
-
To make the onion salad—mix all ingredients in a small bowl.
-
To assemble the Tantuni, take one lavash bread at a time and press it firmly over the lamb in the skillet. Let the bread soak in the spices and sauce from the pan.
-
At that point you can start piling the filling in a single layer. The lamb, onion salad and diced tomatoes.
-
Roll the bread to make a cylinder-like roll. You may cut it in half or even into smaller bites.
-
Serve right away with an extra sprinkle of sumac.
-
ENJOY
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Tantuni Recipe Tips
Start by using American Lamb.
A boneless cut such as a deboned leg of lamb or lamb sirloin work best.
If you can’t find Turkish pul biber spice, use a blend of paprika and chili flakes.
Cook the lamb very quickly over high heat so it doesn’t become rubbery or tough.
If you feel the liquid has absorbed, add in 1/4 cup of water or stock to the lamb for a juicier meat.
Lamb fat and butter are a great source of flavor here. Classically since Mersin is a city famous for cottonseed oil production, this recipe is made using cottonseed oil.
While you can add sauces or salad ingredients to the Tantuni here as most wraps would have, we strongly urge you to try it the authentic way first.
As simple and humble as this combination is, it truly is magical.
Classically Tantuni is served whole and twisted or cut in half. You may also find it being served cut up into smaller slices like bite size pieces, but it’s not the traditional way.
Beth
This looks absolutely delicious! I love wraps, I love easy, and I love delicious. This ticks all the boxes!
Toni
This is absolutely amazing! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Ann
I love lamb and trying new recipes. This looks delicious. Thanks!
Emily
This was so delicious – the spices and onion salad were just perfect! Everyone loved it. I’ll be making this again soon!
Anjali
Wow this was such an easy wrap and a great way to change things up from the typical sandwiches I make for myself for lunch! It was delicious!