Antep Beyran Description and Distinguishing Features of the Product: Antep Beyranı is a regional dish with meat and rice. According to records, the first Beyran shop in the Gaziantep market opened in 1885. The production technique and craftsmanship are crucial factors in making Antep Beyranı. It is a very laborious process that takes hours to prepare. The meat and marrow bones need to be cooked on low heat for 10-12 hours, and the meat should be separated into individual fibers. The sahana (a traditional shallow pan) is either greased with internal fat or left without grease, and rice is added. The sahana is placed on the stove, and broth, red pepper, black pepper, and garlic are added. The sahana is lifted with tongs, taken off the stove, and served hot. The dish is served boiling and must be presented using a copper sahana. Meat: The meat of a young male lamb called "Toklu" or a never-given-birth female lamb called "Şişek" is used. The tenderness of the meat, which is one of the most critical factors affecting its flavor, depends on the animal's species, age, diet, the amount of connective tissue, and the resting condition after slaughter. The meat used in Antep Beyranı comes from a young male lamb or a never-given-birth female lamb. The degree of fattiness in the meat also affects its tenderness. Well-fed animal meats are more fatty, softer, and are therefore chosen for Antep Beyranı. The meats used should be healthy animal meats. After being slaughtered in the slaughterhouse and kept at 0-1°C for 24 hours, the meats are distributed to butchers and need to be stored in cold places (refrigerator). Meat pieces can be kept for two to three days; if they need to be stored for a longer time, they are divided into cooking portions, wrapped in oily paper, and stored in the freezer (-2°C) for a few weeks. Meats can be frozen at -32°C in cold storage for long-term storage at -18°C. Frozen meat is thawed in a cold place (refrigerator) or cold storage. Thawed meat should not be refrozen. Care is taken not to break the cold chain of the meat, and compliance with the Turkish Food Codex Meat and Meat Products Communiqué is ensured. Rice: The rice used must be compliant with the Turkish Food Codex Rice Communiqué, fully milled, and of Class 1 or Class 2 pilaf rice.Garlic: It should be winter garlic, dried, and not showing signs of sprouting.Internal Fat: It should be the internal fat of the lamb and must be stored under the conditions in which the meat is stored.Red Pepper Flakes: It should be compliant with the Turkish Food Codex Spice Communiqué.Black Pepper: It should be compliant with the Turkish Food Codex Spice Communiqué.Onion: It should be winter onions, dried, and not sprouted or rotten.Lemon: It should be fresh, not rotten, or moldy. Production Method: The most important ingredient in Antep Beyranı is the meat used. The taste of the meat, its tenderness, and how it is cooked all contribute to the flavor. The meat used in Beyran is obtained only from the arms and neck of the lamb. Plenty of marrow bones are cooked with the meat. Preparations for Antep Beyranı begin a day in advance. The meats and marrow bones to be used in Beyran are soaked in water for a few hours (1-3 hours) to make the meat broth clear; the water is changed several times until the meat releases its bloody, red liquid. Then, the meat is placed in a copper cauldron, and enough water to cover the meat is added, bringing it to a boil. Once the meat broth boils, the "kef" must be completely removed. Kef refers to the sediment or foam that accumulates on the surface of the boiling meat or bone broth. The kef is collected and removed with a strainer and discarded. If this process is not performed, the meat broth will not be clear. After removing the kef, the internal fat, ground in a meat grinder or grated with a grater, is added to the cauldron for each 1.5-2 kg of meat with bones, and any foam that forms on the surface is removed again. Salt is added. To give flavor to the meat broth, 1-2 peeled onions and 1 lemon (to be removed and discarded later) are added whole to the cauldron. The cauldron is covered, and the meat with bones and internal fat is cooked over low heat for at least 10-12 hours. Therefore, Beyran is usually prepared overnight and left to cook throughout the night. While Beyran used to be cooked over a wood fire in the past, today it is cooked on modern stoves. At the end of the cooking time, the cauldron is opened, and the meat juice is drained, transferring the meat to another container. While the meat is still hot, it is shredded, separating the sinews and fats. Meanwhile, rice is boiled in water without oil or salt until it is slightly firm, and this is called "kel pilav." The drained meat broth and crushed garlic are also prepared in advance. Since the presentation is made hot, a copper sahana (plate) must be used. In copper sahanas, optionally, the serving is done with the bottom either greasy or non-greasy, depending on the dialect in the Antep region. For a greasy bottom serving, when the cauldron is opened, the layer of melted fat that accumulates on top is removed, strained through a sieve, and spooned into the sahanas arranged in order, allowing it to cool. These copper sahanas are held with tongs and placed on the Beyran stove over high heat. The preheated fat is used to lightly fry the boiled rice (kel pilav) first. Then, a layer of shredded meat is added on top. On high heat, the fat on the bottom of the sahana melts, crushed garlic and red pepper flakes are added, and at that moment, meat broth is poured over the top. As soon as the meat broth is added, the fat flares up. The sahana is taken from the stove with tongs and served hot. For a non-greasy bottom serving, boiled rice is placed in the copper sahana, and a layer of shredded meat is added on top. The copper sahana is placed on the Beyran stove over high heat, crushed garlic and red pepper flakes are added on top, and meat broth is poured over the top.