Tarsus Hazelnut Lahmacun Product Description and Distinctive Features: Tarsus Hazelnut Lahmacun is a regional product among the foods prepared with male sheep meat in the Tarsus cuisine. It is a traditional product that has been passed down from generation to generation since the early 1900s. Tarsus Hazelnut Lahmacun is a food made by spreading a mixture of minced meat, parsley, onions, red bell pepper, tomatoes, and optionally red pepper onto dough, manually opened to a maximum diameter of 8 cm, and then baking it in a stone oven. The key distinctive features of Tarsus Hazelnut Lahmacun include the manual opening of the dough to a maximum diameter of 8 cm, the use of a substantial amount of meat, and the addition of finely chopped onions to the prepared meat mixture. Another distinctive feature is the preparation of the meat with less fat by not adding tail fat when making the inner filling. Production Method: The meat is obtained from male sheep that graze naturally in the plateaus of the Toros Mountains, located in the north of the Mersin province, where plant diversity includes herbs such as thyme. The meat is cleaned by separating bones and nerves. The cleaned meat is diced and salted. About 60% of the meat is minced using a large sharp knife called "zırh," while the remaining 40% is ground using a meat grinder. The meat, stored in a refrigerator at approximately 4°C, rests for about 2 hours. The meat used for self-basting is not supplemented with additional fat or other components. Red/onion, red bell pepper, peeled tomatoes, and finely chopped parsley, as specified in the table below, are ground with a "zırh" knife, and optionally red pepper is added. The prepared vegetable mixture is mixed with an average of 100 g of meat. To ensure Tarsus Hazelnut Lahmacun is not dry and rises, fresh yeast is added to the dough mixture. For the final product to meet the desired quality, all components of the dough, including flour, water, salt, yeast, and olive oil, need to be mixed homogeneously using a kneading mixer at room temperature (approximately 25°C) for about 10-15 minutes. After kneading, the dough should be elastic, non-sticky, soft, smooth, easy to shape, and shiny, ensuring quality in the final product. Once the desired elastic structure and texture of the dough are achieved, it is placed on the counter and left to ferment for about 15 minutes. The prepared dough, ready for processing, is cut into small pieces weighing approximately 20 g each and rolled in the palm of the hand. It is preferred that the pan used during cooking is ungalvanized and approximately 0.5 cm thick. The size of the pan may vary depending on the number of portions to be served. For the first use, the pan is greased and heated in the oven at approximately 250°C for 2-3 hours. Subsequent uses of the pan contribute to preventing the dough from sticking, ensuring the meat is fully cooked, and creating the desired flavor of the lahmacun. After cleaning the pan, the cut pieces of dough are evenly arranged inside, and rolled by hand to an average thickness of 1 cm and a maximum diameter of 8 cm. When opening the dough, it is crucial to ensure that the edges are evenly thick. Opening the dough by hand rather than using a rolling pin prevents it from being too thin and drying out during baking.