Turkish chef launches pipe kebab into space; ‘Aliens sent it back, it had too much pepper’

In one of the bizarre incidents in Turkey, Chef Yaşar Aydn and Idris Albayrak, a space engineering student, hooked a pipe kebab, commonly known as boru kebab in Turkish, to a helium balloon and sent it into space on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. The launch took place in Turkey's Adana area, which is famous for its pipe kebabs.

Idris Albayrak from Turkey used a weather balloon to propel the pipe Kebab into orbit, but it detonated in the stratosphere after a three-hour journey and plummeted into the Mediterranean Sea. They chose Tuesday because it was the International Day of Human Space Flight, which commemorated the first orbit of Earth completed by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12 in 1961.

According to Daily Sabah, one of the Istanbul media outlets, a specifically crafted package was created for the kebab's space ride. The dish was held in place by this enclosure, which also protected it from excessive temperatures during its journey. A camera and a tracking device were also installed in the box to keep a watch on the journey. The box was then attached to a large weather-resistant helium balloon and launched into the sky.

Team recovers the Kebab 121 Kms from the launched site

The entire effort, however, was rendered worthless when the balloon exploded. The kebab's destination was more or less evident, according to Turkish news agency DHA, some 38 kilometres (24 miles) above the skies of Adana. After the helium balloon detonated at a height of 38 kilometres, the kebab landed in the water 121 kilometres away from its launch place. What was even more interesting is that Yaşar Aydn and his team recovered the kebab box.

Check netizens' reaction

After this strange exercise turned futile, the chef joked after this strange event to the Daily Sabah. He said, “I think aliens sent it back because it had too much pepper. I will send a dish with less pepper next time”. “I am happy to promote our city and our cuisine. I love being first in something.”

This funny incident brought the netizens to respond with hilarious jokes about Kebabs on social media. Check out: