63- Clockwise from left: Turkish
culture is inescapable in this part
of London; a grill house on every
corner; freshly formed kebabs
ready for the grill.
come over from Maraş [a region in southeast Turkey],”
he says. “We brought our passion for grilled meats to
London with us.”
It is a similar story to so many of Britain’s most
popular foods. The neighborhood curry house was a
byproduct of the huge waves of Indian, Pakistani, and
Bangladeshi immigration in the 1950s, and fish and
chips, the most iconic of all British dishes, came here
with Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe in the mid-
1800s. Kebabs truly are one of the U.K.’s most popular
foods—1.3 million of them are sold in more than
20,000 restaurants and shops every day.
Ferhat Dirrik, the manager of Mangal II in Dalston,
believes that the interest in Middle Eastern grilled
meats simply ref lects a wider social shift in the U.K.
Large-scale Turkish migration to London began with
Turkish-Cypriots who arrived from Cyprus, a former
British colony, in the 1930s. Larger numbers arrived
after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and they
were joined by immigrants from mainland Turkey in
the 1970s and ’80s, many of whom emigrated after po-
litical and economic instability following the coups
d’etat of 1971 and 1980.
Ferhat’s father, Ali Dirrik, was
one of the pioneers of the Turkish
food scene in London. Origi-
nally from the town of Kivas in
central Turkey, he opened the
restaurant almost 30 years ago.
These days Mangal II is gener-
ally packed with both regulars
from the neighborhood and visi-
tors. “Hackney is a place you
can be anyone,” Ferhat says. “An
older gay couple walking hand-
in-hand, a woman in a hijab with
her kids, a tall, skinny punk with
bleached white hair. That’s what
you see.”
The diversity of the menu
ref lects Ferhat’s own mixed her-
itage, which includes Turkish,
Alevi, Kurdish, and Armenian
roots. The ocakbaşı classics at
Mangal II, such as iskender ke-
bab (a lamb steak doner) and theGrilled Onion Salad
with Sumac and Herbs
SERVES 4
Total: 25 min.
A common accompaniment to Turk-
ish kebabs in London, this tangy salad
is typically made with the juice from
pickled turnips. But use any sour pickle
juice you have.3 medium white onions, each cut
into 6 wedges
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil,
divided
Kosher salt
¼ cup pomegranate molasses
2 Tbsp. sour pickle juice
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. ground sumac
1 tsp. Aleppo pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
leaves
1 Tbsp. chopped mint leaves
1 In a bowl, toss the onions with
2 tablespoons oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
2 Heat a g rill or g rill pa n over hig h heat.
Once hot, add the onions and cook,
turning occasionally, until softened
and charred all over, 10–12 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, make the dressing: In a
large bowl, whisk the molasses,
¼ cup water, the pickle juice, lime
juice, sumac, Aleppo pepper, and the
remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Season
with salt and black pepper to taste.
4 Transfer the onions to the bowl of
dressing. Toss in the herbs. Serve hot
or at room temperature.TURKEY to LONDON