ASPAVA

Aspava is a meat dish which is very similar to infamous Döner and Kebab. ASPAVA is a mesh of these two groups. Originally ASPAVA was only the name of a döner restaurant in Ankara, but due to the popularity of the special dish this restaurant makes, the dish is called ASPAVA as well. Different Restaurants in the Capital of Turkey, Ankara, also started making this dish after seeing its popularity. Even though it is a very known and popular dish in the capital, it is very difficult to find places making this dish in other cities of Turkey. The name of the restaurant is an abbreviation; it stands for Allah Saglik Para Afiyet Versin Amin. One distinct detail about the original ASPAVA restaurant is that they supplement the food by giving a complimentary cigarette to customers. Restaurant had to face charges because of this tradition, therefore cigarette is not served any more in most of the locations. One other specialty of the original restaurant is the ikrams (free supplementary food) given in the restaurant. ASPAVA became a very important part of nightlife in Ankara by becoming a commonly known drunk food. The original restaurant is open 24/7, and this was effective to make this restaurant an infamous drunk food.

History

There is a long-lasting dispute between top ASPAVA restaurants about who is the original restaurant. The original ASPAVA was opened in 1972 at Ulus, Ankara by the world Olympic Wrestling Champion Mahmut Atalay, and Ali Ödekbaş. After managing the restaurant together for a long period, the partners parted ways and Ali Usta continued running his own business until 1998. After 1998, Ali Usta was replaced by his son Çetin Ödekbaş. Today, Çağatay Ödekbaş, son of Çetin Ödekbaş continues managing the ASPAVA restaurants. The original restaurant was located in Ulus, Ankara, but it spread all around the city after the following years of its invention. While the food itself became very famous, the original restaurant kept being the most popular chain to make this dish.

Ingredients

ASPAVA is a lavash bread stuffed with thinly sliced döner meat inside. Kasar cheese (a specific melting Turkish cheese), spiced onions and pickles are also considered as the main ingredients of ASPAVA. A special tomato sauce made from tomato paste and fresh tomatoes is poured over the meat dish. Later on, the dish is heated in the oven with a special salted Turkish butter on top of the lavash. Customers are generally served with accompanying dishes such as çiğ köfte (chee kofta, meat dish made with raw meat and spices), potato fries, cacik (Turkish yogurt mixed with herbs), salad and grilled mushrooms topped with kasar cheese.

Etymology

Both the name of the restaurant and the name of the dish is an abbreviation. ASPAVA stands for Allah Saglik Para Afiyet Versin Amin (Turkish: God shall give: Health, Money, Taste Amen; Döner Restaurants). The abbreviation was also found by the founder of the restaurant itself Mahmut Atalay. The original restaurant took the right of the name after its grand opening, and they kept those rights reserved.

References

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