Sağlığınız için bizi seçin. - Choose us for your (good) health.
45 yıldır sizinleyiz. - It is 45 years we are with you.

The Manisa Spor Kebab House is situated opposite the Main Post Office (PTT) in the center of Manisa. When I first started visiting it in 1979 it was just another "greasy spoon" serving for the local workers. Of course we must realize that most people eat lunch out in Turkey - office workers, factory workers, business men, street cleaners - it is all part of normal Turkish daily life.

This particular kebab house has grown to be the most famous which serves Manisa Kebab (the local meat dish) and it is still being run by the owner who you can see standing proudly outside the establishment in the picture below.

It was about the Millennium Year of 2000 when he broke out of the top league of "greasy spoons" and totally revamped and modernized his lokanta (cafe) to what is shown in the brochure - and now they even open on Sundays!

Ingredients (for 8 people)

• 4 Onions
• 1 Aubergine
• 3 Tomatoes
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Long Green Pepper
• 3 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Bunch Parsley
• 5 Tumblers of Olive Oil
• ½ Tumbler of Water
• 2 Teaspoons Sugar

Ingredients (for 8 People)

• 300 g. lambs mince
• 8 Aubergines
• 1 Onion
• 1 Tomatoes
• 2 Long Green Pepper
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Tumbler Water
• ½ Tumblers Olive Oil
• 2 Dessert spoons Tomato Paste (Salcha)
• 1 Bunch Parsley
• Sugar, Salt, Pepper

In fact we used to go here for lunch from our factory in Manisa and the boys who were serving us then are the well matured waiters who are still there to this day, half a lifetime has passed us all by.

One always gets a personal welcome when visiting and only the best will do for their customers - and the class of food served is of the finest quality.

Anafartlar Mah. - Anafartlar District
Sinema Park Cad. No 16/B - Cinema Park Road No. 16.B
Eski Postane Karşısı - Opposite the Old Post Office
Manisa Spor Kebap Salonu - The Manisa Spor(t) Kebab Saloon

Here we can see the chefs working away at their orders. All the various types of kebabs have been pre-prepared and when you order you can point to what you require and it is freshly cooked " in front of your very eyes "

One can also see the creamed butter cooling in the display cabinet. In the old days it was always added to a Manisa Kebab on serving - but of course in these (health conscious) days our time honoured and long serving waiters will always ask you if you want this addition to your meal. Personally I always - "go for it!"

1956' dan günümüze vazgeçilmez lezzet. - vazgeç-il-mez See explanation of this Participle - From 1956 to our (present) day an unceasing taste (flavour).
Sabah: 10.00'dan. - Morning(s) From 10:00am
Aksam 21.00'e dek hizmetinizdeyiz. - (hizmet-iniz-de-yiz) - Until 9:00pm evening(s), we are at your service. - [service-your-at-we-are]
Pazar günleri'de açık. - (de when it means also is not a suffix and is attached to a noun) - Also open on Sundays

These Buttered Manisa Kebabs are served with Ayran (a watered yoghurt drink) which is provided at table in 1 liter carafes - but you only pay for the amount that you consume. The kebabs are served up on top of stone baked pitta bread which is specially made and cooked for each order. The whole meal includes a seasonal salad, this may be grated carrot and purple cabbage in winter or spring onion with radishes in summer.
Of course no meal in Manisa is complete without the famous Manisa Tomatoes, where they can grow to almost the size of an orange and still taste like tomatoes used to in the old days.

Kebaplarımız tereyağlıdır. - Our kebabs are buttered.
Pidelerimiz özel imalattır. - Our pitta bread is specially made (manufactured).
Ayranlarımız koyun yoğurdundandır. [yoğurd-u-ndan-dır] - Our ayran(s) are (made from) sheep's (milk) yoghurt.
- In the above examples we can clearly see the use of -dir meaning is (definitely) as "an advice" to the customer.

It is a long time since I first sat in the Manisa Spor Salonu in the late 1970's.. But I learned a lot about Turkish life and customs while in Manisa and its cafes..

Here I am then with my then Turkish secretary Ayşe Hanım who now has her husband Necati and big son Emre to bring her along.

If you ever manage to visit Manisa and drop in at the Manisa Spor Kebap Salonu, you are sure of a warm Turkish Welcome, and if you look around carefully at the photographs on show - then you will find one of the Manisa Turkish author somewhere amongst them.

This is one of the places in which I learned a lot of Turkish when I was just beginning to understand it all.