Beyti (Istanbul)
Encyclopedia
Beyti is a restaurant in Istanbul
, Turkey
specialising in roasted meat. It was founded in 1945 in Küçükçekmece
and has been situated since 1983 in Florya
. The establishment is owned by the restaurateur
Beyti Güler and run by him together with his sons Cüneyt and Ahmet.
The main dining room, with a total capacity of 500 seats, offers traditional Turkish cuisine
and various kebab
s grilled over oak charcoal. Beyti kebab
, a specialty named after the chef, is the most popular.
Beyti is a member of the prestigious international gastronomic organization Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs
.
to Crimea
in the 1720s after the assault of Persians. In the 1870s, following the Crimean War
the family moved to Dobruja
in Romania
. The family immigrated in 1935 to Turkey.
In 1945 Beyti and his father opened a small roadside meat restaurant of 30 m² with four tables in the suburbs of Istanbul. The restaurant, though it only had 20 seats, became a popular venue, gaining fame soon after opening. Notable journalists, top executives and even high-ranked politicians came to taste the döner kebap
that was rarely available elsewhere.
An article published in 1965 in the New York Herald Tribune
led to international fame. From 1966 to 1974, the restaurant catered daily to four Pan Am
airliners. The restaurant served U.S. President Richard Nixon
aboard Air Force One
during his first official trip to Europe
, an opportunity that helped the Turkish kebap become renowned.
To meet the growing demand, Beyti Güler erected a three-story building in Florya, an upscale residential neighborhood close to Atatürk International Airport
. Consisting of eleven dining rooms of various sizes plus a terrace, the building was designed in a modern architectural style by Osman Yılmaz Şanlı. The interior decoration was inspired by Ottoman Turkish art
. Construction was begun in 1979 and the new site opened by 1983.
in 1961, Beyti Güler was inspired by the renowned butcher Möller's way of preparing meat. When he returned home, he introduced a dish consisting of roasted lamb fillets wrapped in strips of lamb cutlet fat. It came to be named after him when the kebap's fame spread all over the world.
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
specialising in roasted meat. It was founded in 1945 in Küçükçekmece
Küçükçekmece
Küçükçekmece is a large, crowded suburb on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey 23 km out of the city, beyond Atatürk Airport. The population of the area reaches 600,000. This area covers 118 km².-Location:...
and has been situated since 1983 in Florya
Florya
Florya is a neighborhood belonging to the Bakırköy district of the greater Istanbul, Turkey. It is located along Marmara Sea, and borders to the northeast the neighborhood of Yeşilköy, to the northwest that of Küçükçekmece. It is one of the high class and rich areas of Istanbul...
. The establishment is owned by the restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
Beyti Güler and run by him together with his sons Cüneyt and Ahmet.
The main dining room, with a total capacity of 500 seats, offers traditional Turkish cuisine
Turkish cuisine
Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Turkish cuisine has in turn influenced those and other neighbouring cuisines, including that of western Europe...
and various kebab
Kebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
s grilled over oak charcoal. Beyti kebab
Beyti kebab
Beyti kebab is a Turkish dish consisting of ground beef or lamb, grilled on a skewer and served wrapped in lavash and topped with tomato sauce and yoghurt.Another common name for Beyti kebab is Lokma.- See also :*List of kebabs...
, a specialty named after the chef, is the most popular.
Beyti is a member of the prestigious international gastronomic organization Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs
Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs
La Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is an international gastronomic society founded in Paris in 1950. The Chaîne is based on the traditions and practices of the old French royal guild of goose roasters, whose authority gradually expanded to the roasting of all poultry, meat and game...
.
Background
Beyti Güler is a descendant of Turkic people who fled from SamarkandSamarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
to Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
in the 1720s after the assault of Persians. In the 1870s, following the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
the family moved to Dobruja
Dobruja
Dobruja is a historical region shared by Bulgaria and Romania, located between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, including the Danube Delta, Romanian coast and the northernmost part of the Bulgarian coast...
in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. The family immigrated in 1935 to Turkey.
In 1945 Beyti and his father opened a small roadside meat restaurant of 30 m² with four tables in the suburbs of Istanbul. The restaurant, though it only had 20 seats, became a popular venue, gaining fame soon after opening. Notable journalists, top executives and even high-ranked politicians came to taste the döner kebap
Doner kebab
Doner kebab is a dish made of roasted meat cooked on a vertical spit. It is also known regionally as gyro , shawarma, and al pastor . It consists of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or mixed meats roasted on a spit. Less common alternatives include fish and sausage...
that was rarely available elsewhere.
An article published in 1965 in the New York Herald Tribune
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
led to international fame. From 1966 to 1974, the restaurant catered daily to four Pan Am
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
airliners. The restaurant served U.S. President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
aboard Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
during his first official trip to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, an opportunity that helped the Turkish kebap become renowned.
To meet the growing demand, Beyti Güler erected a three-story building in Florya, an upscale residential neighborhood close to Atatürk International Airport
Atatürk International Airport
Atatürk International Airport is the major international airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Opened in 1924 and located in Yeşilköy, on the European side of the city, it is west of the city centre. In 1980, the airport was renamed to Atatürk International Airport in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the...
. Consisting of eleven dining rooms of various sizes plus a terrace, the building was designed in a modern architectural style by Osman Yılmaz Şanlı. The interior decoration was inspired by Ottoman Turkish art
Culture of the Ottoman Empire
The culture of the Ottoman Empire evolved over several centuries as the ruling administration of the Turks absorbed, adapted and modified the cultures of conquered lands and their peoples...
. Construction was begun in 1979 and the new site opened by 1983.
Beyti kebap
During a visit to SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in 1961, Beyti Güler was inspired by the renowned butcher Möller's way of preparing meat. When he returned home, he introduced a dish consisting of roasted lamb fillets wrapped in strips of lamb cutlet fat. It came to be named after him when the kebap's fame spread all over the world.