Flatbread is placed under kebab because it absorbs the meat’s juices and fat, keeping them from pooling at the bottom of the platter; the soaked flatbread becomes one of the favorite bites. It also separates the hot meat from the cool plate and catches the juices from charred tomatoes and peppers. In a well-arranged platter, the meat goes on the flatbread, charred vegetables go alongside it, and onions and other sides come in separate bowls.
Meat coming off the grill continues to release juices and fat for a while. When kebab, meatballs, or chops are taken off the skewer and placed on a plate, the liquid pools at the bottom; as the meat sits in it, the underside softens and loses its browned surface from the grill. As the pooled liquid cools, its fat solidifies and makes the plate look heavy. Flatbread absorbs the juices and fat, keeps the bottom of the plate dry, and helps the meat’s underside stay as it was when it came off the grill. That is why flatbread under the meat on a kebab platter is functional, not decoration.
The second purpose of the flatbread is to be eaten. Flatbread that absorbs the meat’s juices, fat, and spices becomes one of the favorite bites on the platter; at kebab meals, many people eat the soaked flatbread at the end. That is why plenty of flatbread is placed under the meat, with enough to extend over the edges; the overhanging part can also be used to wrap the meat. The flatbread needs to be thin and soft to absorb the juices; thick, dried-out bread absorbs them slowly and hardens on the plate.
Flatbread also forms a layer between the hot meat and the plate. A cold serving plate draws away the meat’s initial heat; the flatbread breaks that contact so the meat arrives at the table warmer. This is why kebab restaurants briefly warm the flatbread at the edge of the grill before laying it on the plate: warm flatbread absorbs the juices better and does not cool the hot meat. At home, warm the flatbread briefly in a hot pan or on a grill, turning it without letting it dry out, then place it on the plate right away. Overheating makes it brittle. Do not stack the flatbreads while warming them; turn them one at a time, since stacked flatbreads stick together.
Charred tomatoes and peppers also go on top of the flatbread. When the skin is peeled from a charred tomato, a lot of juice comes out; without flatbread, it runs under the meat. Place the vegetables along one edge of the flatbread beside the meat so their juices soak into it. At some tables, charred tomato is mashed on the flatbread and spread under the meat. Charred chili peppers go in the same place, along the edge of the flatbread. Onion salad, sumac onions, and parsley go in a separate bowl, not on the flatbread, because lemony, sumac-seasoned onions sour it and make it fall apart.
The order is the same when you arrange a kebab platter at home. First place warmed flatbread on the plate, then add meat fresh from the grill and arrange charred vegetables alongside it; onions, pickles, and ayran come in separate dishes. If flatbread is unavailable, thin yufka or thinly rolled pita can do the same job, while thick slices of bread absorb the juices slowly. For yogurt-topped kebabs, use diced pita instead of flatbread, and change the order; where the yogurt goes is a separate tip.